New government figures reveal “shocking” scale of children’s centre closures across the country
Leading early years organisation the Early Years Alliance has called on the government to “get its act together” over its children’s centre policy, as the organisation’s analysis of newly-published government statistics reveals that as many as 93% of centres have closed in some areas of the country since 2010.
The figures, published by children and families minister Michelle Donelan in response to a parliamentary question from shadow education secretary Angela Rayner on Monday, reveal that:
- More than eight in 10 local authority areas (126 in total) have seen a fall in the number of children’s centres between 2010 and 2019, while only two have seen any increase.
- Over a third of areas (54 in total) have seen the number of centres fall by 50% or more.
The five worst affected areas in terms of number of net children’s centres losses are:
|
Local authority |
Children’s centres in 2010 |
Children’s centres in 2019 |
Total reduction |
Percentage reduction |
|
Essex |
85 |
19 |
66 |
78% |
|
Staffordshire |
54 |
8 |
46 |
85% |
|
Birmingham |
75 |
34 |
41 |
55% |
|
Oxfordshire |
45 |
8 |
37 |
82% |
|
Derbyshire |
54 |
21 |
33 |
61% |
The six worst affected areas in terms of percentage of net children’s centres losses are:
|
Local authority |
Children’s centres in 2010 |
Children’s centres in 2019 |
Total reduction |
Percentage reduction |
|
Gateshead |
15 |
1 |
14 |
93% |
|
Harrow |
16 |
2 |
14 |
88% |
|
Trafford |
16 |
2 |
14 |
88% |
|
Staffordshire |
54 |
8 |
46 |
85% |
|
Luton |
23 |
4 |
19 |
83% |
|
St Helens |
12 |
2 |
10 |
83% |
Commenting, Neil Leitch, chief executive of the Early Years Alliance, said:
“We know that children’s centres play a vital role in supporting children and families – and particularly those from disadvantaged backgrounds – but, for all the government rhetoric about the importance of supporting social mobility, this is a policy area that has been completely neglected for years now.
“Given the total lack of clear strategic direction from government, alongside severe and sustained funding cuts, it is no surprise that many children centres have been forced to close their doors – and yet, it is still shocking to see the sheer scale of centre closures that some areas have endured over the last decade.
“It beggars belief that such a vital source of help and support for families has effectively been abandoned. The government needs to get its act together, commit to investing substantially into children’s centres, and ensure that all families have access to the early support services that they need.”
- The government statistics also make reference to ‘children’s centre-linked sites’ – these are former children's centres that offer some early childhood services on behalf of another children's centre – however, they no longer meet the statutory definition of a children’s centre, and so have not been included in the analysis of this press release.
-
Alliance analysis of the figures reveals that 54 local authority areas have seen the number of children's centres fall by 50% or more since 2010. The parliamentary question is available and the figures are available .
ABOUT THE ALLIANCE
- The Early Years Alliance is the largest and most representative early years membership organisation in England. A registered educational charity, it also provides high-quality affordable childcare and education to support children and families in areas of deprivation throughout the country.
- The Alliance represents 14,000 members and supports them to deliver care and learning to more than 800,000 families every year. We deliver family learning projects, offer information and advice, produce specialist publications, run acclaimed training programmes and campaign to influence early years policy and practice.
- The Alliance website is