Labour has been urged to launch a massive expansion of family centres under the Sure Start brand to fend off Nigel Farage’s Reform UK.
A commission backed by Labour peer Hilary Armstrong has said a reintroduction of Sure Start family centres could rebuild faith in neighbourhoods blighted by Tory austerity.
Her Independent Commission on Neighbourhoods found the reinstatement of Sure Start would be backed across the political spectrum, with two-thirds of potential Reform voters supporting the move.
Sure Start was launched under Mr Brown and Sir Tony Blair in 1998 to help provide children in poorer neighbourhoods with health, education and childcare services. The centres provided early years health and education services.
More than 1,400 Sure Start centres have been closed since 2010 amid the Conservatives’ austerity drive. At its peak under Gordon Brown, the programme had more than 3,600 centres, with Labour ministers repeatedly describing Sure Start as one of the party’s biggest achievements in government.
It has since been rebranded as ‘Best Start’, with the scheme relaunching when Labour came back into power last year. Education secretary Bridget Phillipson has ploughed £500m into the family hubs, offering parenting support and youth services across every council in England. She said the scheme will target disadvantaged communities and “give a lifeline” to families.
Officials anticipate the network will grow to include up to 1,000 hubs by the end of 2028.
Government sources told The Guardian the Best Start brand was tested and came out as a clear winner among voters, with parents viewing it as aimed at parents’ ambitions.
But Baroness Armstrong’s commission found that 62 per cent of people recognise the Sure Start brand, while 72 per cent of voters want to see it revived.
Jo White, a Labour MP who chairs the “red wall” grouping in parliament, told The Guardian: “Labour’s reconnection with left-behind communities, including in the ‘red wall’ constituencies, has to be tangible. People need to see and experience change, and the reopening of Sure Start centres is a very good start.”
Baroness Armstrong added: “On our visits across the country we have heard time and again how Sure Start made a positive difference to the lives of people in ways that few other policy initiatives have done.
“Our work has shown that bringing back Sure Start centres through upgrading existing services in the most disadvantaged places would not only be good value for money but would also start to rebuild trust in neighbourhoods which saw services taken away due to austerity.”
Labour is hoping to see off the rise of Reform, which has consistently topped the polls after Sir Keir Starmer’s shaky start in Downing Street.
Mr Farage’s party is currently backed by 30 per cent of voters, with Labour on 22 per cent and the Conservatives in third on 17 per cent.
A Department for Education spokesperson said: “Giving children growing up in our country the best start in life is central to our mission to break the unfair link between background and success.
“This government is revitalising family services, rolling out up to 1,000 Best Start family hubs in every local area, relieving pressure on parents and building on the successful legacy of Sure Start.
“Through our Plan for Change, our Best Start services will deliver 30 hours of government-funded childcare, expand school-based nurseries, and roll out free breakfast clubs in every primary school to support working parents.”
