The majority of local authorities do not believe they will have sufficient places to meet demand for the expanded offer, a new report by Coram Family and Childcare reveals.
Ahead of the Government’s roll-out of its expanded offer from April 2024, local authorities across England have indicated concerns about having sufficient childcare places to meet demand, according to new research published by Coram Family and Childcare.
Whilst 60 per cent of local authorities are ‘confident’ or ‘very confident’ there will be enough places to meet demand for the April 2024 expansion (15 free hours for two-year-olds), only 27 per cent of local authorities say the same about the expansion from September 2024 (15 free hours from nine months). This falls to just 12 per cent for the September 2025 expansion (30 hours from nine months).
The report reveals the factors that local authorities see as barriers to successful delivery of the 30 hours free entitlements in 2025. The vast majority (88 per cent) identified the local childcare workforce as a ‘barrier’, reflecting the significant ongoing challenges to recruit and retain staff, the research found.
