Middlesbrough, Hartlepool, and Redcar and Cleveland Councils have been selected by the government to receive more than £3m between them in early years support funding.
Middlesbrough is receiving the most out of the three authorities, benefiting from a £1.1m funding boost, meanwhile Hartlepool receives £940,000. Redcar and Cleveland Council is in receipt of £1m. Money will be used to boost services offered by family hubs across local council areas and support families through ‘Start for Life’ services.
The figures are provisional funding allocations that local authorities will be eligible to receive for the financial year 2025/26. The funding is set to increase access to pregnancy support, infant feeding advice, parenting classes and more.
The funding comes as part of an £126m investment nationally. It is from this total investment that £3m is coming to the Tees Valley. However, £69m of this funding was announced during the autumn budget. The other, newly announced, £57m is being shared among 75 authorities with high levels of deprivation for 2025/26.
The Government argues that children’s early years are crucial to their development, health and life chances. They highlight the importance of antenatal classes, health visitors, parenting support, baby and toddler groups and access to affordable, high-quality early education and childcare. Yet, government figures suggest 80% of parents have struggled to access services.
Government says that this lack of support in early years can act as a barrier to development and contributes to too many children not being ready to start school, with over a third of children unable to dress independently and 90% of reception teachers saying they have at least one child in the class not toilet trained.
The Government has set a milestone as part of their ‘Plan for Change’ of a record proportion of children starting school ready to learn. Progress will be measured through 75% of five year olds reaching a good level of development in the early years foundation stage assessment by 2028. It is argued that this funding boost serves as the first step to achieve their goal.
People can get support from a family hub if they are: an expectant parent or carer, a parent or carer of a child aged zero to 19 (or up to 25 with special educational needs or a disability), a young person up to the age of 19, or up to 25 with special educational needs or a disability.
Tees Valley Labour MPs whose constituencies benefit from this funding were delighted. Anna Turley, MP for Redcar, said: “This funding is a game-changer for our community, after years of cuts to our services, this Labour Government is delivering real investment to make sure our children get the best start in life.”
Meanwhile, Luke Myer, MP for Middlesbrough South and East Cleveland said: “Every child deserves the best start in life. This is the difference that Labour in power can make.” Jonathan Brash, Labour MP for Hartlepool detailed other funding commitments secured during his tenure as an MP and said: “We know there are some who continually want to run Hartlepool down, who endlessly complain, who are nothing but negative – I say let’s call them out. We have so much to celebrate right now.”
Councillors in Teesside have shared how they will prioritise spending. Alec Brown, Leader of Redcar and Cleveland Borough Council, said: “I am thrilled that Redcar and Cleveland will benefit from this funding for Start for Life services. These services have already shown their value, offering expert advice on infant feeding, parenting support, and perinatal mental health. This new investment means we can build on that success, reach more families, and make sure every child has the opportunity to thrive.”
Philippa Storey, Deputy Mayor of Middlesbrough, said: “We’re delighted that Middlesbrough is one of the towns to benefit from this Government funding. The first two years of a child’s life are the crucial foundations for their future emotional and physical health. We will continue doing everything we can to ensure children in Middlesbrough get the best possible start in life, regardless of their background. This funding will build on the excellent work already being done every day by staff working in our Family Hubs and across the council.”
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