Yvette Cooper will announce plans to extend Sure Start‑style health services to every family hub in England by widening the Healthy Babies programme to all local authorities. The government aims for around 1,000 family hubs by the end of 2028, offering support on infant feeding, parental mental health, bonding and midwifery. Ms Cooper presents the move as restoring a core Labour achievement, but ministers have not yet published figures for extra funding.
Yvette Cooper Pledges Sure Start‑Style Health Services For Every Family Hub In England
Yvette Cooper has previously spoken of her continuing anger over Coalition cuts to Sure Start funding - Getty Images/Rasid Necati Aslim
Health services modelled on the Sure Start approach will be introduced in every family hub across England under plans announced by Health Secretary Yvette Cooper. The expansion will broaden the Healthy Babies programme to all local authorities and aims to bring joined-up support on infant feeding, parental mental health, early bonding, routine health visits and midwifery into community family centres.
What the plan includes
Ministers say the programme will be scaled so the family hub network reaches about 1,000 centres by the end of 2028. Government figures indicate more than half of local authorities currently have family hubs that do not include Healthy Babies services; the proposed expansion is intended to address that gap and recreate the integrated health-and-family support model associated with Sure Start.
"I can announce we will bring back the Sure Start health services into every family centre," Ms Cooper is expected to tell Labour's conference in Liverpool.
Background
Sure Start was launched in 1998 under Tony Blair and combined health provision, early learning support and childcare for children under five. The network was substantially reduced after 2010 during the Lib Dem–Conservative coalition, though some centres and services remained. Ms Cooper has repeatedly criticised those cuts and said she wants to prevent future governments from dismantling similar services.
Funding and next steps
Officials have outlined the scope of the expansion but did not publish a figure for additional funding ahead of the conference announcement. Ms Cooper has framed early intervention — from pregnancy through the early years — as a central policy priority leading into the next spending review. Details on implementation, timelines at local level and funding allocations are expected to follow as ministers set out the programme.
How this fits with other government work
The initiative sits alongside the government's rollout of Best Start Family Hubs, which are designed to offer support for a broader age range of children and families. Ministers say the combined approach aims to reunite health and family support services in local centres to improve access for parents and young children.
Implications: If fully funded and implemented, the expansion could restore more universal local access to early-years health and family support, but much will depend on the funding settlement and how services are delivered at local authority level.
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