SHADOW Health Minister Liz Kendall was in Bury to launch Labour’s plan to recruit an additional 400 midwives across the North West to provide one-to-one care for women during childbirth.

The commitment is part of Labour’s £2.5 billion plan for the NHS, funded by a crackdown on tax avoidance and a mansion tax on properties worth more than £2 million.

The Shadow Minister joined James Frith, Labour’s Parliamentary candidate for Bury North, to meet new parents and mums-to-be at Redvales children’s centre in Dorset Drive, Bury.

They discussed Labour’s plan to recruit additional midwives and expand free childcare from 15 to 25 hours a week for working parents of three and four-year-olds. Labour say this will save local families £1,500 a year on childcare costs.

Ms Kendall said: “This pledge will lead to safer births, fewer caesareans and less post-natal depression. Crucially, it will help to give babies the best possible start in life. Many midwives are quitting the job because of huge pressures, leading to worse care. We want to give midwives time to care and mums-to-be the peace of mind of knowing that they’re in good hands.”

Mr Frith said: "It was great to announce this support for local families at the same children’s centre my wife and I used for our own ante natal classes. This is great news for local families, thousands of whom will benefit from Labour’s plan to recruit more midwives and expand free childcare.

"I’ve got two children myself, with a third on the way, and so I understand the challenges new mums face and the difficulty finding affordable childcare as the from baby stage to toddler and beyond."

The nearest maternity units for Bury residents are at North Manchester General and The Royal Bolton hospitals, following the closure of the Fairfield unit in 2012.