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from the independent.
Some 31 SureStart centres for young children have closed since last year's general election, according to figures released under freedom of information legislation.
And the figures obtained by the New Statesman magazine suggest that less well-off areas have been hardest hit by the closures.
The network of 3,600 SureStart centres across England was a flagship initiative of the former Labour administration, providing support and advice for parents of pre-school children in the hope of improving their life-chances.
During last year's election campaign, David Cameron dismissed as "a disgrace" claims by Gordon Brown that a Conservative government would shut down SureStart centres. Earlier this year, the Prime Minister told the House of Commons that the centres "do not need to close" as part of the Government's cost-cutting drive.
Freedom of Information requests by the New Statesman to the Department for Education found that 31 centres have closed since May 2010, including seven in Redbridge, five in Greenwich, four in Wandsworth and two in Hackney - all London boroughs.
After the coalition Government came to power, the budget for SureStart was merged into a new early intervention grant, which also includes funding for programmes related to teenage pregnancy, mental health and youth crime. In total, these programmes received almost £2.5 billion in 2010/11 but the new grant is worth just over £2.2 billion this year.
According to the New Statesman, funding for SureStart and related programmes is being cut by an average of £50 a child this year, but some of the poorest areas - including Tower Hamlets and Hackney in London and Knowsley in Merseyside - are facing cuts of £100 a child, while wealthier areas such as Richmond in south London, Buckinghamshire and Surrey will see cuts of just £30 per child.
Labour spokeswoman for women and equality Yvette Cooper said: "This is outrageous. David Cameron and education ministers promised us they were protecting SureStart. But now we know that is rubbish.
