As of right now, qualifying parents and caregivers of children under two years old are entitled to fifteen hours of free daycare each week.
It is the first of an £8 billion package that the government expects would help the economy and workforce grow while saving “working parents” an average of £3,450 annually. The plan was unveiled during the 2023 budget.
Parents have welcomed it, but opponents and providers have already criticized it.
Despite the anticipated increase in demand, Labour has drawn attention to Ofsted data indicating that more than 1,000 childcare spots were lost between March and December 2023.
A “dossier of childcare chaos” that Labour released as part of its campaign outlines many concerns, including reports from parents lamenting excessive childcare prices, lengthy waiting lists, and nurseries fearing bankruptcy.
According to the Labour dossier, the Conservatives’ promise to provide childcare without a strategy unveiled in the 2023 budget threatens to destabilize the childcare system in the same way as they did the economy.
Bridget Phillipson, the shadow education secretary, declared: “Labour will finally get on with the job and deliver the much-needed childcare for parents after 14 years of Tory failure.”
