Children have rights too

Oxfordshire Green Party is appalled by the decision that all the County’s children’s centres will close. Our children have rights. 

Councillor David Williams, Leader of the Green Group on the County Council, comments:

“The County’s decision to close Oxfordshire’s Children’s Centres is an appalling cut too far, illustrating wholly inadequate priority setting by the County Council, and too slim a tax base being set by the Conservative Government. A previous attempt by the County Council to close our children’s centres in Oxfordshire was stopped, in 2013, by a petition of 15,000 and the opposition of Oxfordshire MPs and many elected councillors. Despite this clear support for these centres from this large and representative group, the County Council seems determined to carry out an attack upon the needs of a group which cannot easily speak for itself: our 
children.

“The UK is a signatory to the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child. This includes the following: ‘..that the family, as the fundamental group of society and the natural environment for the growth and well-being of all its members and particularly children, should be afforded the necessary protection and assistance so that it can fully assume its responsibilities within the community,…’. It is not possible for all of our families to contribute to society without support.

“The UK is a rich country and is more than capable of providing adequate taxation, and ending tax evasion and tax havens, to meet all the needs of our children. It would be shameful neglect if any children’s centres close as a result of uncaring action by the County Council.”