Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps she is taking to ensure that (a) areas of rural poverty and (b) areas with concentrated pockets of deprivation can access new Best Start Family Hubs.

Best Start Family Hubs will prioritise delivery in areas of disadvantage, where families face the greatest barriers to support. The department will fund Best Start Family Hubs in every local authority to ensure that children and families who need support the most, especially those from low-income backgrounds or with additional vulnerabilities can access it. These hubs will be open to all families to ensure services are both inclusive and targeted. As of March 2025, there are over 600 Family Hubs across the 88 currently funded local authorities, with up to 1000 hubs expected across the country by the end of 2028.

We will provide funding to every local authority in England through the Best Start Family Hubs programme, to make sure that no parent needs to face the challenges of parenthood alone. This will include more funding to local authorities to deliver greater outreach to make sure no one misses out.