To The Point - Fighting for a better future

Today, we seem to live in a society where paying huge amounts for childcare has become commonplace, as if that's just the way things are done here. These costs have strained budgets and kept some people from being able to get into work, and recently things have been getting worse, not better, with average costs up a third over the past five years. These persistent rises are as unsustainable as they are utte- rly ridiculous, and unless this is sorted out it will cost us all more than just money.

One of my passions throughout my time in Parliament has been championing the need to invest in children's early years development. Helping children develop, giving them and their families timely support, and being able to bring people toge- ther to learn and work with each other does incredible amounts of good, and it genuinely boosts the life chances of children no matter where they are from. Investing early helps reduce the risk of problems developing as children grow into teenagers and adults, and the net gains for society as a whole, as well as for the children and families directly, are simply incalculable.