PCS general secretary FRAN HEATHCOTE explains why opposing war is inseparable from defending jobs, wages and public services – and why readers should come to the London Peace Conference on Saturday June 20
I THINK it’s important we highlight the state of play for children entering the Covid-19 crisis, as the government neglecting children is nothing new. Since 2010 it has been government policy.
Over 1,000 Sure Start centres, which had the aim of giving children the best start in life often in the most disadvantaged areas, have vanished from our communities. Between 2010 and 2017 reductions in local authority funding meant the “early intervention” allocation fell by 64 per cent.
School budgets have been slashed by £5.4 billion since 2015 alone, with proposed increases in funding barely repairing the squeeze felt since austerity began according to the Institute for Fiscal Studies.
We cannot refuse to abolish the unjustifiable two-child benefit cap that pushes children into poverty while finding billions of pounds for defence spending — the membership and the public expect better from Labour, writes JON TRICKETT MP
MATT WRACK issues a clarion call for a rejuvenation of public services for the sake of our communities and our young people
With 170,000 children living in poverty in north-east England and teachers leaving in droves over 20 per cent real-terms pay cuts since 2010, all while private companies siphon off billions, it is time to unite and fight for education, writes MATT WRACK


