Young families, and people who are expecting, in the most deprived areas of England could be getting an extra boost of support through a staggering £126million additional funding put forward by the government as part of Labour’s Plan for Change. The funding will fuel support like parenting classes, pregnancy support, infant feeding advice and more to help young children put their best foot forward as part of their first steps.
Roughly £57million of this fund will specifically go to 75 local authorities throughout 2025 and 2026 to better aid the Start for Life services which certain families may be eligible for from pregnancy up until their child is two years old. This funding boost includes mental health support for families, infant feeding services and improved access and understanding around local Start for Life services.
The full list of local authorities in England receiving this boost are Bedford, Luton, Norfolk, Peterborough and Thurrock in the East of England. As well as County Durham, Gateshead, Hartlepool, Middlesborough, Newcastle upon Tyne, Northumberland, Redcar and Cleveland, South Tyneside and Sunderland in the North East.
In the South East, East Sussex, Isle of Wight, Kent, Medway, Portsmouth and Southampton will be getting their share alongside the North West’s Blackburn with Darwen, Blackpool, Bolton, Halton, Knowsley, Liverpool, Manchester, Oldham, Rochdale, Salford, St Helens and Tameside. Bristol, City of Cornwall, Plymouth and Torbay make up the only authorities in the South West getting the funding.
In the Midlands, Derby, Leicester, Lincolnshire, North Northamptonshire, Nottingham, Birmingham, Coventry, Dudley, Sandwell, Stoke-on-Trent, Telford and Wrekin, Walsall and Wolverhampton are included. Likewise in Yorkshire and the Humber the list stands; Barnsley, Bradford, Calderdale, Doncaster, Kingston upon Hull, City of North East Lincolnshire, North Lincolnshire, Rotherham, Sheffield and Wakefield.
Finally in London, these boroughs will receive part of the additional funding: Barking and Dagenham, Brent, Camden, Croydon, Enfield, Greenwich, Hackney, Haringey, Hounslow, Islington, Lambeth, Lewisham, Newham, Southwark, Tower Hamlets and Waltham Forest.
This funding is in addition to the £69million Chancellor Rachel Reeves announced in the Budget would be put aside to craft a network of family hubs. Dubbed a “one-stop shop for families”, the hubs aim to provide a myriad of support, advice and services throughout children’s early years.
The boost comes after official government data revealed over 80% of parents say they have struggled to access much-needed early years services for their children, which can act as a barrier separating children from their peers before they even start school. Around 90% of reception teachers reported at least one child in their class is not yet toilet trained, for example.
Labour’s Plan for Change aims to address these opportunity gaps with a goal of 75% of five-year-olds being at a good level of development in early years foundation stage assessment by 2028. Parents trying to get support through a family hub will need to ensure they’re part of the three eligible groups:
- An expectant parent or carer
- A parent or carer of a child aged 0 to 19, or 25 with special educational needs or a disability
- A young person up to the age of 19, or up to 25 with special educational needs or a disability