Education Committee Chair Robin Walker MP said:
“The Chancellor’s announcement that childcare providers will get additional funding up to 2025/26 for the 30-hours entitlements, in line with inflation and minimum wage increases, will prove essential to ensuring this landmark policy can be rolled out sustainably. It should be a game changer for working families and the UK’s labour market, and will boost children’s early development too. It is also very positive to see that the Chancellor has listened to my Committee’s calls to raise the threshold at which Child Benefit is withdrawn, which is long overdue and will particularly support single parents. But it was remiss of the Treasury to ignore the chance to revamp its under-used and cumbersome Tax-Free Childcare scheme, which the Committee has consistently called for.
An issue impacting the entire schools sector and thousands of families is the lack of specialist provision for children with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND). Whilst there is a long road ahead before the Government’s reforms will fully address the growing demand for SEND provision, the Chancellor deserves credit for investing £105m towards creating 15 new special free schools across England over the coming years, which will be of huge benefit to children with the most severe conditions.
As my cross-party Committee has got underway with its children’s social care inquiry, we have heard that local authorities are fighting an uphill battle to maintain their services to protect and ensure the wellbeing of vulnerable children, a service which is becoming one of the most draining on councils’ budgets. The additional £165m to create 200 new places and invest in secure children’s homes follows an announcement in January for £500m of further funding, which will shore up front line services.”
