Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many Sure Start centres have closed in the City of Chester constituency since 2010; and how much Family Hub funding has been allocated to that constituency.

Based on the information supplied by local authorities, as of 27 October 2022, one Sure Start children’s centre has closed in the City of Chester constituency since 2010. The number of children’s centre closures is based on information supplied by local authorities as of 27 October 2022. These figures may differ from the number of closures reported locally and may change again, as local authorities may update their data at any time.

In October 2021, as part of the Autumn Budget and Spending Review 2021, the government announced £301.75 million to transform Start for Life and Family Hub services in 75 upper-tier local authorities across England. The 75 eligible local authorities were announced on 2 April 2022. These were selected based on levels of disadvantage, targeting the areas with the highest levels of deprivation and disproportionately poor health and educational outcomes.

The City of Chester constituency is not eligible to receive funding through the Family Hubs and Start for Life programme.

The government would like to see Family Hubs across the country, but it is crucial that we now focus on delivering well in these 75 local authorities and building the evidence base.