BUCKINGHAMSHIRE'S 35th Sure Start children's centre has opened in Marlow – just as a think tank said the multi-billion pound network should be cut back.

The new Marlow children's centre is located on two sites - next to the Marlow Day Nursery in Sandygate Road and at Foxes Piece School in Newfield Road.

It will aid expectant parents, carers for children under five, childminders and extended family members such as grandparents.

The centre will offer drop-in fun play activities, help to find childcare, health and early learning and support parents get back to work.

The Labour initiative to help to support families with children under the age of five, was originally designed to help youngsters in worse-off areas get a better education and stay out of trouble.

But Jill Kirby director of the Centre for Policy Studies described spending on the scheme “as a copybook example of Labour failure: profligate spending in pursuit of central targets, based on untested theories, packaged in jargon and creating a thicket of bureaucracy.”

The CPS, which has published a report on the Government's Children’s Plan, said £800million of taxpayers cash could be saved by cutting back the scheme and argued it would not harm youngsters.

The coalition Government have outlined plans to scale it back to its 'original purpose' for only the 'neediest families'.

Jill Kirby believes the neediest children “fared even worse if there was a Sure Start in their area” and claimed it “has been colonised by middle-class mothers enjoying free baby massage and painting clubs.”

Steven Adams, cabinet member for achievement, learning and skills at Buckinghamshire County Council, said: “It's no secret that the new Government have said that they want Sure Start to be more targeted provision for those people who most need the service at this time of their lives. There's a place for that service.”

He said, however, local government nationwide will be expected to reign in spending across the board.

“As such, services such as Sure Start will have to be thoroughly targeted. In Bucks it's pretty much run along those lines any way,” he said.

“We feel pretty comfortable that our level of provision will be in keeping with what the Government expects.”

He said it would no longer be the “Rolls Royce, “gold plated, universal service” of Labour's time in Government.

He said the centres offer “value” and added: “We want to make sure we support them.”

Children’s Centre Co-ordinator Pauline McDougall said: “We are very excited about our new children’s centre, which has been designed with the needs of local children in mind.”

A week of Alice in Wonderland themed activities took place for its launch, ending with a Mad Hatter's tea party.