To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many Sure Start children's centres have closed in England in each year since 2010.
Answered on
6 December 2016
Local authorities have a duty to ensure there are sufficient centres to meet local need; and a duty to consult where changes are planned to local children’s centre provision.
As at 31 October 2016 there were 3,259 main children’s centres and sites open to families and children providing children's centre services as part of a network. Children’s centre records are maintained by local authorities and are made publicly available via the department’s “EduBase portal” at: http://www.education.gov.uk/edubase/home.xhtml.
Based on the information supplied by local authorities the numbers of centres closed year by year is given in the table below:
Calendar Year | Number of children’s centres closed by year |
2010 | 0 |
2011 | 12[1] |
2012 | 27 |
2013 | 33[2] |
2014 | 85[3] |
2015 | 156[4] |
The totals for 2011, 2013, 2014 and 2015 have been adjusted since replies to previous questions 3237 http://www.parliament.uk/business/publications/written-questions-answers-statements/written-question/Commons/2015-06-18/3237/; and 38640 http://www.parliament.uk/business/publications/written-questions-answers-statements/written-question/Commons/2016-05-26/38640/.
[1] The total number of children’s centres closed in 2011 is three higher than previously reported due to a local authority reporting in 2016 that three centres listed as open on Edubase had been closed in 2011
[2] The total number of children’s centres closed in 2013 is one higher than previously reported due to a local authority reporting in 2016 that a centre listed as open on Edubase had been closed in 2013
[3] The total number of children’s centres closed in 2014 is two higher than previously reported due to a local authority reporting in 2016 that two centres listed as open on Edubase had actually closed in 2014
[4] The total number of children’s centres closed in 2015 is 12 higher than previously reported due to five local authorities reporting closures that took place in 2015 in 2016.