The Chancellor has commended Congleton's MP Fiona Bruce for her campaign for funding to strengthen family life, and in particular for Family Hubs.

They'll receive more funding in the latest budget, recently revealed by Rishi Sunak.

The 41-year-old Richmond MP and Chancellor of the Exchequer will put more than half a billion behind Fiona's initiative.

Family Hubs are centres which ensure families with children and young people aged 0-19 receiveearly help to overcome a range of difficulties and build stronger relationships.

They are particularly located in deprived areas, to help give kids a better shot at life.

Fiona has spoken many times on the matter in the House of Commons, including during the pandemic.

The Congleton parliamentarian has questioned and met with successive Ministers to press them to put money into strengthening family life.

Fiona said on the recent Budget announcement "I am delighted that the Chancellor is investing over half a billion pounds into strengthening family life. This is more than I ever could have hoped for when I entered Parliament with this as a priority in 2010.

The 64-year-old MP for our town is also the UK's Special Envoy for Religious Freedom.

Fiona continued "At each of the elections I have stood on in Congleton – 2010, 2015, 2017, 2019 – I have put out a statement of my values – still on my website – and the first is "Families matter – strong, stable families are the heart of a healthy nation.

Family Hubs are a place in each community where everyone can go for help – and at some stage in every family's life we all need it.

"They provide a broad level of support, for example with advice on debt, job searching, relationship counselling, parenting or care for elderly relatives, and much more.

"Family Hubs provide help for 0 – 19 years and 0 – 25 years if a child has Special Educational Needs – and, as of course many families don't have children, [but] help for them is included too.

"Also, distinctively from the old Sure Starts, Family Hubs are a partnership between local statutory and voluntary services – boosting the capacity of both.

"Family Hubs can be based anywhere locally accessible – a library, school building, repurposed community centre, church, even a vacant former high street store!

"Over the past few years since I have been campaigning for Family Hubs, and with some initial seed funding from the Government, their numbers have grown from five to over 150 all around the country; I am delighted that with this additional substantial funding many more can be set up and I hope to see more than one dedicated Family Hub soon in the Cheshire East area!"

It is not yet known if Fiona will stand in her fifth election, the UK General Election on Thursday May 2, 2024.

Some believe by that time, Mr Sunak may be leading the Conservative Party.

Speaking in the Budget debate the Chancellor stated "We are responding today with £300 million for a start for life offer for families; high-quality parenting programmes; tailored services to help with perinatal mental health; and, I am pleased to tell my Honourable Friend the Member for Congleton (Fiona Bruce), funding to create a network of family hubs around the country too.

"To improve the quality of childcare, we are going to pay providers more, with today's spending review providing an extra £170 million by 2024-25.

"We are confirming £150 million to support training and development for the entire early years workforce.

"To help up to 300,000 more families facing multiple needs, we are investing an extra £200 million in the supporting families programme, and we will provide over £200 million a year to continue the holiday activities and food programme."

Some argue that Family Hubs are just a rebadging of Short Start, an 1998 Labour policy, rather than being a novel idea championed by Conservatives like Fiona.

For more information on family support services in Congleton and Cheshire East, please click here.

The Family Hubs Network said: "Family Hubs are crucial as effective early intervention can improve children's wellbeing, educational attainment and life chances.

"It can also reduce family poverty, improve mental healthandlead to lower crime, unemployment and other negative outcomes which carry significant cost to the public purse.

"These centres enhance integrated workingbyenablingeasier access to support, better outcomes for families, more effective service delivery and smarteruse of budgets."

Last week, Fiona voted on the Lord's Environment Bill amendments to allow more sewage storm overflows into rivers.

Congleton Nub News has contacted Fiona for further clarity on this.

She also asked Jacob Rees Mogg MP in parliament about increasing funding for a child's first 1,001 days of life.

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