Nearly half of local authorities fear they will not be able to roll out the government’s expanded childcare policy in April, according to new data.
Almost nine in ten local authorities in England think a lack of staff in the sector will be an obstacle to extending free childcare for young families, the research shared found.
Chancellor Jeremy Hunt revealed the major flagship pledge to extend free childcare to draw in voters last year, with eligible working parents of two-year-olds told they could claim 15 hours of free childcare a week for 38 weeks in a year. And from September 2025, working parents who have children under five will be able to claim 30 hours of free childcare for 38 weeks per year.
The research, carried out by childcare charity Coram Family and Childcare, and shared with The Independent, found that four in ten local authorities are either uncertain or fearful they will not meet the deadline.
Six in ten local authorities said they were either “confident” or “very confident” of being able to rollout the policy from April.
But the picture looks much worse as the scheme progresses, with only around a quarter of local authorities reporting they feel “confident” or “very confident” about delivering the next stage of the childcare measures from September 2024.
It comes after The Independent revealed last month that thousands of nurseries have shut their doors amid a staffing crisis, sparking fears the government’s promise to expand free childcare was “doomed to failure”.
The new study found around a third of local authorities predict that fewer parents will be able to access free childcare places for three and four-year-olds.
