Children
Steve Reed holds a senior frontbench position as Labour’s Shadow Minister for Children and Families. He wants to see better support for children in care, children at risk of abuse, child refugees and children with learning disabilities after years of short-sighted Conservative cuts. Croydon has more asylum seeker children than any other borough, and Steve’s called on the Government to increase funding to help them.
Steve has one of the best records in the country on protecting vulnerable children. When he won back Lambeth Council from the Conservatives and Lib Dems, the council’s children’s services were rated among the worst in the country. Under Steve’s leadership, those services rapidly improved and became the best rated in the country – judged ‘outstanding’ in every single category.
Steve said:
I made sure children in care, child refugees and children facing abuse had the best services in the country when I was in charge. They are my priority because every child deserves all the love and support we can give them. Now, as Labour’s Shadow Minister, I’m holding this cruel Conservative Government to account for how they’ve targeted these vital services for savage and irresponsible cuts that leave vulnerable children at risk. No country that loves its children should treat them like this.
Steven Reed is Labour MP for Croydon North and Shadow Minister for Children and Families. In 2018 his private member’s bill on reducing violent mental health restraint became law. In June 2019 he launched Labour’s civil society strategy outlining radical plans to empower citizens and communities.
Steve chairs the Cooperative Councils Innovation Network, co-chairs the All-Party Parliamentary Group for London, was Leader of Lambeth Council 2006-12 where he led the council’s children’s services to become best-rated in the country and pioneered the public-health approach to tackling violent youth crime. He worked in publishing for 16 years and was an elected trade union branch secretary.
