HARLOW MP, Chris Vince has welcomed new funding from the Labour government, to ‘rebuild’ Sure Start style services in Essex – an area lacking in any provision of this type following cuts to services following the election of the Conservatives in 2010.

That left thousands of parents cut off from vital community support networks and specialist services – left to navigate the challenges of parenthood alone – as well as a devastating impact on children’s life chances, with early development, wellbeing and future attainment all in jeopardy.

Today, the Labour government has announced grants provided to local authorities to ensure every community has a Best Start Family Hub. 1,000 Best Start Family Hubs are to be rolled out across the country by April 2026 to provide wide-ranging help for families, such as parenting and early development – including £404,697 in Essex.

Labour’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: “It’s the driving mission of this government to break the link between a child’s background and what they go on to achieve – our new Best Start Family Hubs will put the first building blocks of better life chances in place for more children. 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.”

Chris Vince, MP for Harlow, said:

“I’m so pleased that we are being given the opportunity to bring back family services to Essex, helping to give local children the best start in life. This £404,697 investment to open a local Best Start family hub will be transformative – alongside free breakfast clubs and government-funded childcare, we are delivering on our Plan for Change. The job now is to ensure that this money is used directly to benefit residents in Harlow.”

The new Best Start Family Hub 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.