A gender equality think tank is calling on the Chancellor to boost childcare funding by £1.7bn – the estimated shortfall - in the Spring Budget.
The Women’s Budget Group (WBG) is joining the call for increased funding for providers to deliver the 15 and 30 hours. It recognises that the ‘failure to fund the hours at their true cost is the root cause of high parent fees, closures and poor pay and conditions for the early years workforce.
The WBG is an independent network of leading academic researchers, policy experts and campaigners working towards a gender equal economy. It hosts the Early Education and Childcare Coalition, a group of 30 organisations representing parents, children, providers, early years staff and the business community.
The group is calling on the Government to raise the ceiling of total childcare costs it will reimburse eligible parents through universal credit, which it says have not increased since 2016, and to remove the 85 per cent cap.
