Sure Start centres generated £2 of financial benefits for every £1 spent, study finds

Established in 1999, Sure Start centres created a ‘one-stop shop’ for early years, health and family support services. Photograph: David Levene/The Guardian

Sure Start children’s centres in England generated £2 of financial benefits 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 according to the IFS study.