£20m family hub plan for school backed by ministers
A Black Country MP has secured government backing in his campaign to open a family hub at a borough school.
Shaun Bailey is urging Sandwell Council to open a hub to support local families at Harvills Hawthorn Primary School on Wolseley Road, West Bromwich.
The authority has been awarded £20million by the Government to get a scheme off the ground – and now West Bromwich West MP Mr Bailey's call has been backed by ministers.
Speaking in the Commons, Mr Bailey said: "Sandwell Metropolitan Borough Council was awarded £20 million by the Government for a family hub.
"We all know that a person’s start in life can, unfortunately, still dictate where they go.
"We need to change that, and a family hub can do that. I am working alongside local campaigners to ensure that a family hub is located at Harvills Hawthorn Primary School in West Bromwich in my constituency.
"It has the site, the connections and the networks by which to build the hub; we just need to get Sandwell Council on board."
He urged ministers allow for a debate and to "make representations in Government" to support the campaign.
In response, Leader of the Commons, Penny Mordaunt MP praised Mr Bailey for campaigning "so hard" for a family hub in his constituency.
"I would be happy to help him achieve that objective," she added.
Mr Bailey has been joined in his campaign to bring a hub to the school by teachers, parents and local residents.
