Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what recent assessment she has made of the adequacy of the availability of childcare places in Wellingborough constituency.

The department continually monitors the sufficiency of childcare in North Northamptonshire. The department has regular contact with them, and all other local authorities 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 North Northamptonshire reports any sufficiency challenges, the department discusses what action the local authority is taking to address those issues, and where needed, supports them with any specific requirements through its childcare sufficiency support contract.   ​​