Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what additional financial provision local authorities have received to help implement the Government’s commitment for 30 hours free childcare for working parents.

The department is committed to supporting local authorities (LAs) in the delivery of the childcare entitlements, including the new 30 hours free childcare entitlement, and has made significant investment into the offer. We will be spending around £6 billion on childcare support in 2019-20 – a record amount. That will include funding for our free early years education entitlements, on which we plan to spend £3.5 billion this year alone.

Since 30 hours free childcare was announced, the department has also invested heavily in specific projects to support delivery of the offer at a local level.

In 2016, the department made available £100 million in capital funding for which LAs, in partnership with providers, were invited to submit bids. Over 350 projects across 123 LAs were successful in this bid round.

Following this, in 2017 the department allocated £2.15 million as part of the Digital Accelerate grant, supporting LAs in the development of their IT systems.

And in 2018, £7.7 million in grant funding was allocated to LAs through our Delivery Support Fund. This funding was intending to support LAs during the first year of delivery of 30 hours and allowed LAs to undertake projects that directly benefit 30 hours’ delivery and created (directly or indirectly) 30 hours places.

In addition to specific funding, LAs continue to receive support directly from departmental officials and through our delivery partners, Childcare Works, who provide a package of universal and targeted support to ensure LAs are best placed to deliver the government’s childcare offers.