Callum’s Column: The best (and right) start

I am often asked what Labour is doing to make life easier for working families. It is a very fair question, especially after many years in which people have felt that the cost of living has outpaced support. I want to reassure local people that a substantial programme of work is already underway, focused on easing pressures and giving families the stability they need to thrive.

Nationally, we are taking practical steps that will make a tangible difference. Expanding free school breakfasts will help ensure children start the day ready to learn while saving families money. Capping the cost of school uniforms tackles a long-standing pressure many parents face each year. And from next month, new “day one” parental leave rights will come into force, meaning every new parent will be entitled to take time off work from the very start of their employment. It is a significant shift, reflecting the simple truth that family life does not wait.

Alongside these immediate changes, we are also building on what has worked in the past. Many local people will remember Sure Start, one of the most effective policies introduced by the last Labour government. It improved the health, development and life chances of young children - particularly those from disadvantaged backgrounds - and delivered lasting results, including better educational outcomes and fewer hospital admissions later in life.

Despite that success, much of this progress was undone after 2010. More than 1,000 Sure Start centres were closed as part of austerity measures introduced by successive Conservative governments. Their loss did not simply mean fewer buildings; it weakened a vital network of early support that families relied on at crucial moments in their children’s lives.

That is why Labour is committed not just to restoring what was lost, but to building something stronger for the future. The introduction of Best Start Family Hubs is a key part of that plan. These hubs will support over 500,000 young people across the country, drawing on the principles that made Sure Start so effective while adapting to the challenges families face today.

So what will Best Start Family Hubs provide? In short, a genuine one-stop shop for support. Parents will be able to access help with breastfeeding, housing and children’s early development and language skills, all in one place. Crucially, they will also be connected quickly to specialist services when needed. The focus is on early intervention - offering help before problems escalate - because that approach is not only kinder, but also saves taxpayers money in the long run.

In Milton Keynes, the City Council has worked hard to keep ten Family Centres open, even as funding was reduced under previous governments. These centres continue to support families from pregnancy through to early adulthood, offering a wide range of services and activities. They have been a lifeline for the community: providing advice, health services, educational support, access to local charities, play sessions and much more.

From a personal perspective, I grew up under the last Labour government and saw first-hand the difference that proper support can make to working families—especially those without a financial safety net. That experience shaped my belief that government can and should play a positive role in people’s lives by creating opportunity and security.

In my constituency, that belief means working to ensure our communities benefit from these plans. On the Buckinghamshire side, I have been working with Laura Kyrke-Smith and Emma Reynolds to press Buckinghamshire Council on how funding for these hubs will be allocated.

There is also a great deal happening in Bletchley. Regeneration projects, including the Lakes Estate Renewal Project, are helping to transform the area and create new opportunities. But real regeneration is about more than physical change - we must also invest in the conditions that allow people and families to flourish. That is why I am calling for increased national funding to support Milton Keynes City Council in continuing the work it has carried out so valiantly through years of cuts.

Ultimately, we need a system of support that is accessible, preventative and rooted in the realities of people’s lives. Thriving families are the foundation of strong communities, and investing properly in early years services now will pay dividends for decades to come.