A third of designated Sure Start children’s centres have been lost since 2010 in England, with 1,240 fewer than when the coalition took office, according to Labour.

The north-east and London witnessed the biggest falls, with more than 40% of centres lost. Two local authorities, Swindon and Solihull, revealed in a freedom of information request that they had no designated centres left.

More than 230 centres have been lost in the past year alone.

Labour said the figures showed that the government’s pledge to be the “most family friendly government we’ve ever had” lay in tatters.



The Department for Education denied that families were losing out and insisted centres that were no longer designated Sure Start initiatives, or those that had merged with other centres, continued to provide the same level of childcare, education and family support.

The Labour leader, Jeremy Corbyn, is expected to highlight the figures in Southwark, south London, on Wednesday as he sets out how Labour will stand up for working families.

The shadow education secretary, Angela Rayner, commenting on the figures, said: “The Tories claim they’re protecting Sure Start, but they’re not. They use tricky accounting methods – like pointing to buildings which are still open but which are running much-reduced services – to try to pull the wool over people’s eyes.”

The MP for Ashton under Lyne added: “The Tories are taking us backwards. It’s a scandal that parents and children are paying the price.”

It comes after Labour MP Dan Jarvis said 350 Sure Start centres had closed since 2010, but those figures – revealed in parliamentary answers in February – only related to the closure of the centres rather than centres that have lost their designated status.

A DfE spokesman said: “These figures are misleading as they fail to account for children’s centres which are still offering vital services, but have been merged with other centres in the area to increase efficiency.

“If a council decides to close a children’s centre site, they must demonstrate that local children and families would not be adversely affected and local areas continue to have sufficient children’s centres to meet their needs.

“We are determined to ensure children get the best start in life and to help working families with the cost of childcare. That is why we are investing a record £6bn in childcare per year by 2020, which includes extra support for disadvantaged families.”

The Sure Start system was established in the late 1990s by the Labour government, with a mission to provide help to infants from disadvantaged backgrounds before they started school.