Sure Start centres saved UK government £2 for every £1 spent, study finds

New Labour initiative created ‘remarkably long-lasting’ health and education improvements, says report

Sure Start children’s centres provided £2 of savings for every £1 in costs, according to the Institute for Fiscal Studies (IFS), prompting calls for the government to look at such services as potentially paying for themselves.

The centres, championed by the last Labour government, created £2.8bn in savings and revenues at the scheme’s peak in England, according to the IFS study.