Children’s centre closures on the increase

They have been released by the early years minister Caroline Dineage following a parliamentary question from Labour MP Dan Jarvis, who asked how many Sure Start centres in England have closed since 2010.

The figures also show children’s centre closures have continued to rise year-upon-year under the coalition and Conservative Governments. In 2011, 12 closed, 27 the following year and 33 in 2013. In 2014 the number increased to 85, and then 156 last year.

Since 2011, 313 children’s centres have shut.

As of 31 October 2016, there were 3,259 main children’s centres and ‘sites’.

Dan Jarvis, Labour MP for Barnsley, said, 'It is deeply concerning to learn of more children’s Sure Start centres being closed than previously admitted. The minister should now come to Parliament to explain why this has happened.
 
'Sure start centres are a proven success. They provide families with childcare in addition to being a one-stop-shop for extra support with things like healthcare or securing job opportunities.
 
'This shows how wrong the Conservatives' priorities are. Every Sure Start centre that is lost closes a door on a child's chance to get on in life.
 
'A child’s earliest years are critical to their future life chances. So early interventions like Sure Start should be the priority, because it is a smart investment for the future and it will give children the best start in life.
 
'With child poverty set to rise by 50 percent over this Parliament, thousands of families will be affected by these closures.  We will all pay for this failure in years to come.'