Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment she has made of the sufficiency of childcare places available in Mid Bedfordshire as of 29 November 2023; and if she will make an assessment of the potential impact of extended childcare support on the sufficiency of places.

In the government’s Spring Budget, my right hon. Friend, the Chancellor of the Exchequer, announced transformative reforms to childcare for parents, children and the economy. By the 2027/28 financial year, this government will expect to be spending in excess of £8 billion every year on free hours and early education, helping working families with their childcare costs. This represents the single biggest investment in childcare in England ever.

The department announced local authority allocations for the childcare expansion capital grant on 30 November 2023. Central Bedfordshire will receive £649,385 in capital funding to support them to expand early years and wraparound provision.

In addition, Central Bedfordshire is due to receive £1,576,036 to enable them to deliver additional wraparound places. Local authorities have also received a share of £12 million of local authority delivery support funding for this financial year to support with meeting programme and delivery costs associated with rolling out the expanded early years entitlements.

The department continues to monitor the sufficiency of Mid Bedfordshire and has regular contact with them and each local authority in England about their sufficiency of childcare and any issues they are facing. The key measure of sufficiency is whether the supply of available places is sufficient to meet the requirements of parents and children.

Under Section 6 of the Childcare Act 2006, local authorities are responsible for ensuring that the provision of childcare is sufficient to meet the requirements of parents in their area. Part B of the 'Early education and childcare' statutory guidance for local authorities highlights that local authorities are required to report annually to elected council members on how they are meeting their duty to secure sufficient childcare, and to make this report available and accessible to parents.

Where Mid Bedfordshire reports any sufficiency challenges, the department discusses what action local authority is taking to address those issues, and where needed, supports them with any specific requirements through the department’s childcare sufficiency support contract.