Bournemouth Needs Sure Start Back

Published: 9 June 2025

When I talk to parents across Bournemouth East, one thing keeps coming up: the lack of early support for families. It is clear what is missing – Sure Start. 

Any parent who has used their local centre will tell you, Sure Start was a lifeline. When they and their child needed support, or they just needed someone to talk to, the support was there. 

But with the Conservatives return to government in 2010, and the austerity that followed, Sure Start was all but abolished. That loss has left a huge gap in early years support, especially for families on lower incomes, those with mental health issues and the parents and carers supporting children with special educational needs and disabilities. 

Created by the last Labour government, Sure Start quickly became a vital part of early years provision. The evidence is there: Sure Start improved children’s educational outcomes, reduced hospital visits and lessened mental health challenges later in life. 

It’s benefits weren’t short-term – they were lasting. That makes its dismantling all the more heart-breaking.

Sure Start offered everything from parenting support and toddler groups to help with sleep, speech development and breastfeeding. Just as importantly, they gave parents reassurance and a place to feel less alone.

Today, that safety net is not there for parents as it was before. Those who work at our Family Hubs do an amazing job, but targeted support for children up to the age of five is needed.

Last week, I visited The Epiphany School in Muscliff and spoke with Headteacher Miss Webster. Like so many teachers and teaching assistants, she and her team are doing incredible work under real pressure.

She told me some of the struggles children arrive with today could’ve been spotted earlier if the early years support had been there.

When I asked Miss Webster what could be done to help, she said: “Bring back Sure Start.” This was not the first time I’d had this conversation. Teachers, early years staff and teaching assistants had said the same before. 

That’s why I’m calling in Parliament for the full restoration of Sure Start. Nothing less will do.

Alongside that call up, I’m campaigning to repair our local playgrounds and for the amendment of a draft law to grant children play opportunities, and ensure that every child with special educational needs and disabilities isn’t excluded. 

I’ve led the first parliamentary debate on play in seven years—and the longest in 17—and next month, I’ll launch a new cross-party group in Parliament focused on play and early childhood. We’re ramping up the pressure on the Government.

After lobbying in Parliament, the new Labour Government will extend free school meals to up to 4,130 families in Bournemouth East. Nationally, it’ll lift 100,000 children out of poverty and put £500 a year back into family budgets. 

That fact is a huge pride of mine.

But if we’re serious about tackling child poverty, we must tackle its root causes. That means helping more parents into work. For many, however, that’s impossible without early years support. 

In 2000, fewer than half of British families in poverty had someone in work. Today, it’s more than 70%. Work alone isn’t enough anymore. Working parents need tailored support, just as Sure Start provided. 

Looking back, each Sure Start centre was more than the building and services. They told families: your child matters, you matter as parents. I believe in this principle, and am determined to drive forward the change that it once delivered.

That begins with Sure Start, and better, safer and inclusive playgrounds for your children.