Issue - meetings

Motion from Councillor Izzy Creed

 

 

Meeting: 09/09/2025 - County Council (Item 74)

Motion from Councillor Izzy Creed

This Council welcomes:

  1. The Government’s announcement of a programme of new Best Start Family Hubs.
  2. The adoption of a national target of 75% of five-year-olds having a good level of development by 2028.

 

Council notes:

  1. The preceding Sure Start programme was developed under the last Labour Government to provide holistic support to families with children under the age of 5. By 2010 a network of over 3,000 centres had been established.
  2. A recent report by the Institute of Fiscal Studies has found that Sure Start had significant positive impacts on children’s educational attainment as well as physical and mental health.

 

Council further notes:

  1. That cuts by the Coalition Government to Local Government funding resulted in the closure of 1,168 of these valuable council-run children's centres.
  2. In Oxfordshire, many children’s centres were saved by being taken over by local charities and community groups. These centres continue to pay rent to the County Council and face significant financial pressures.

 

This Council requests:

  1. The Cabinet considers how it may support existing community-operated children’s centres in Oxfordshire to continue to operate, providing specialist and financial support where possible.
  2. The Cabinet considers the development of a strategy to increase the range of services offered by existing children’s centres in line with Government plans for new Best Start Family Hubs – prioritising those areas of greatest need.
  3. The Cabinet considers if existing children’s centres can help extend the reach of the County’s re-established youth service.

 

Decision:

The motion was carried unanimously.

 

Minutes:

The motion was proposed by Councillor Creed and seconded by Councillor Brighouse.

 

Following discussion, an electronic vote was taken.  The motion was carried unanimously and will be referred to Cabinet.

 

RESOLVED:

 

This Council welcomes:

  1. The Government’s announcement of a programme of new Best Start Family Hubs.
  2. The adoption of a national target of 75% of five-year-olds having a good level of development by 2028.

 

Council notes:

  1. The preceding Sure Start programme was developed under the last Labour Government to provide holistic support to families with children under the age of 5. By 2010 a network of over 3,000 centres had been established.
  2. A recent report by the Institute of Fiscal Studies has found that Sure Start had significant positive impacts on children’s educational attainment as well as physical and mental health.

 

Council further notes:

  1. That cuts by the Coalition Government to Local Government funding resulted in the closure of 1,168 of these valuable council-run children's centres.
  2. In Oxfordshire, many children’s centres were saved by being taken over by local charities and community groups. These centres continue to pay rent to the County Council and face significant financial pressures.

 

This Council requests:

  1. The Cabinet considers how it may support existing community-operated children’s centres in Oxfordshire to continue to operate, providing specialist and financial support where possible.
  2. The Cabinet considers the development of a strategy to increase the range of services offered by existing children’s centres in line with Government plans for new Best Start Family Hubs – prioritising those areas of greatest need.
  3. The Cabinet considers if existing children’s centres can help extend the reach of the County’s re-established youth service.