Giving Every Child the Best Start in Life

Andrew Cooper Excerpts

Monday 7th July 2025 Commons Chamber

[Bridget Phillipson]

Yes, and I am delighted that my hon. Friend’s local authority and community will benefit from today’s announcement. She is right that access to mental healthcare for new mums in particular is really important. It can be a very lonely and isolating experience, and being able to chat to other parents and access support in a supportive environment is incredibly important. What we are announcing today will support more mothers to get that important access to early support and will help to prevent problems from becoming more serious.

[Andrew Cooper (Mid Cheshire) (Lab)]

A few weeks ago I visited Leftwich primary school and met the fantastic headteacher Claire Harrison and her team. The one thing Claire wanted to get across was how much the job has changed over the last decade. The dismantling of early help and prevention services has meant that teachers and headteachers are spending more time essentially being the parents of last resort rather than undertaking their core function of educating children. It should not be this way, and we should be clear that dismantling Sure Start was an act of utter vandalism by the previous Government. It is fantastic that Cheshire West and Chester council will benefit from the new money for Best Start, building on what Sure Start did best, but does the Secretary of State agree that it is ridiculous that Cheshire West was ever put in a position where there was no money to fund these vital services?

[Bridget Phillipson]

My hon. Friend’s local authority will now benefit from this extra funding, and it will make a tremendous difference to children and families across his community. Like my hon. Friend, I have heard that story from so many school leaders, teachers and support staff who go above and beyond to support families who are often facing very real challenges and difficulties around homelessness, poverty. We want to make their job easier. That is why we are expanding free school meals eligibility, putting in place new free breakfast clubs, cutting the cost of school uniforms and increasing the national minimum wage. Those are all measures designed to support families, and they will bring big educational benefits too.