Council proposes further Best Start Family Hub locations for High Wycombe and Burnham

The proposals are subject to approval at a meeting of the Council’s Cabinet on 12 May.

The Council’s Best Start in Life programme focuses on strengthening early years and family support by bringing key services together in more accessible, joined‑up ways for local families. Earlier this year, Elmhurst Family Centre in Aylesbury was designated as Buckinghamshire’s first Best Start Family Hub.

Best Start Family Hubs will provide classes, events and activities to support Buckinghamshire families. Services could include parenting advice, guidance on finance and housing, infant feeding support, early help for children with SEND, health visiting, and mental health support.

In High Wycombe and Burnham, educational outcomes for children from disadvantaged backgrounds are below the levels seen elsewhere in Buckinghamshire, demonstrating a strong case for enhanced Best Start in Life support and the opening of new Best Start Family Hubs.

Work is already underway to confirm the most suitable site for a High Wycombe Best Start Family Hub. The site will be accessible for local families, have room to accommodate multiple key services on site, and be able to support strong outreach work so families can benefit from support regardless of the hub’s location.

In Burnham, the proposals show how the Council could invest in redeveloping a council‑owned site to create a welcoming place for families to access support, while improving joint working with health and community services for the benefit of residents.

Burnham has been identified as a priority area for a new Best Start Family Hub based on local need and given the limited space to expand services in the existing family centre.

In September 2025, following a public consultation and as part of the reorganisation of adult services, Buckinghamshire Council decided not to continue adult respite services at the Burnham site. That decision remains unchanged.

The proposal to redevelop the Burnham site also reflects new government requirements about the location of Best Start Family Hubs. Feasibility work by Buckinghamshire Council shows the site would be suitable for providing expanded early years and family support. By keeping the Burnham site rather than selling it, Buckinghamshire Council would allow it to remain as a community asset which benefits local families.

The new Burnham Best Start Family Hub would initially focus on early years and family support, with the potential to develop in phases over time into a broader community hub, shaped through ongoing engagement with the local community.

Councillor Carl Jackson, Buckinghamshire Council's Cabinet Member for Education and Children’s Services, said:

“These proposals will allow Buckinghamshire Council to build on the positive start we have made to our Best Start Family Hub programme and ensure council buildings are used in ways which bring the biggest benefits to local people. The plans for new Best Start Family Hubs in High Wycombe and Burnham will make it easier for families in those areas to access the support they need, when they need it”.