James Naish, Member of Parliament for Rushcliffe, has welcomed the government’s announcement about bringing Sure Start style services back to Nottinghamshire after more than a decade of cuts to early years support – but has also called on the government to ensure all communities are covered, including Rushcliffe.
Earlier today (14th October), the government announced grants would be provided to local authorities to ensure every community has a ‘Best Start Family Hub’. 1,000 Family Hubs will be rolled out across the country by April 2026 to provide wide-ranging help for families, such as parenting and early development – including over £250,000 for Nottinghamshire.
Family and children’s centres once played a vital role in transforming access to early education, childcare and parenting support. Research shows that children who lived within a short distance of a local centre for their first five years were 0.9 percentage points more likely to achieve five good GCSEs by age 16.
However, over the past decade, many of these services have been scaled back or consolidated, leaving gaps in provision across the country. Today, one in four families with children under five have no local children’s centre or Family Hub nearby, rising to one in three among lower-income families. In practical terms, this means thousands of parents are left to navigate the challenges of early childhood alone, from finding childcare and health advice to accessing financial guidance and community support.
James Naish MP is urging ministers to make Rushcliffe a priority area for investment, warning that too many families across the borough – particularly in villages like Cotgrave and Keyworth – no longer have the same access to early years and parenting support that used to be available.
James said: “Over the years, family services in Nottinghamshire have been reduced or reorganised, leaving many parents without the local support they once relied on. We’ve seen before how well-run children’s centres can transform outcomes for young people, and I’m determined to see that kind of investment and stability return to our communities. That’s why today’s announcement is so welcomed.
He continued: “But it is vital that the relative affluence of places like Rushcliffe means families here don’t miss out. It’s time to rebuild services so that every family, no matter where they live, has access to high-quality early years support.”
The government’s ‘Best Start Family Hubs’ will act as a one stop shop for parents seeking a range of support, including on difficulty breastfeeding, housing issues or children’s early development and language, reassuring families that they have convenient access to support in their local area or can be efficiently connected to specialist local services.
Education Secretary, Bridget Phillipson said: “I saw firsthand how initiatives like Sure Start helped level the playing field, transforming the lives of children by putting in place family support in the earliest years of life, and as part of our Plan for Change, we’re building on its legacy for the next generation of children.
“Making sure hard-working parents are able to benefit from more early help is a promise made, and promise kept – delivering a lifeline of consistent support across the nation, ensuring health, social care and education work in unison to ensure all children get the best start in life.
This £250,000 commitment to Nottinghamshire will compliment work the Labour government already has underway to make family life easier and alleviate the burden on parents, including by expanding government-funded childcare to 30-hours, increasing the reach of school-based nurseries, and rolling out free breakfast clubs in every primary school to support working parents.
September also saw the launch of the Labour government’s digital service, www.beststartinlife.gov.uk, a new national digital hub linked NHS services to offer trusted advice and connect to support.
