The education and childcare minister Elizabeth Truss revealed during Parliamentary questions that the figures have been deleted as part of a ‘data cleanse’ exercise.
However, the Labour party claims that the Government is trying to hide the truth about the number of Sure Start centres that have closed since it came into power in 2010.
In answer to a question posed by Labour MP Harriet Harman in which she asked for recent figures on the number of children’s centres in each local authority area, Ms Truss replied, ‘My department has carried out a data-cleansing and survey exercise to assure me of the level of confidence in figures provided by local authorities on the Sure Start database.’
Register now to continue reading
Thank you for visiting Nursery World and making use of our archive of more than 35,000 expert features, subject guides, case studies and policy updates. Why not register today and enjoy the following great benefits:
What's included
-
Free access to 4 subscriber-only articles per month
-
Unlimited access to news and opinion
-
Email newsletter providing activity ideas, best practice and breaking news
Already have an account? Sign in here
