Jeremy Hunt’s free childcare pledge ‘doomed to fail’ as thousands of nurseries close amid staffing crisis
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Exclusive: One mother says she will soon be forced to drive 60 miles a day for childcare due to lack of services in her area. Thousands of nurseries have shut their doors amid a staffing crisis, leaving Jeremy Hunt’s flagship Budget pledge to expand free childcare for British families “doomed to failure”, The Independent has been told.
New figures from school inspectors Ofsted show that 3,320 of the 62,300 nurseries and childminders for under-fives in England have shut their doors in the past year alone, leaving 17,800 fewer childcare places available. At the time of the Budget announcement in March, Hunt pledged the sector would be given help to ready itself for the number of places needed to meet demand – but in the months since thousands of nurseries have closed amid a spiralling cost of living crisis and lack of government support.
Experts say the decline means the government’s plan to offer 30 hours of free childcare for under-fives from 2025 will be impossible to implement as they struggle to recruit and retain workers. The news leaves families banking on the provision in limbo, not knowing whether they can afford soaring childcare fees which are north of £2,000 a month for a full-time place in some areas.
It comes just days after Mr Hunt doubled down on his commitment to start the first part of the rollout – due to begin in April – in his autumn statement. The Independent can also reveal:. This week, the government announced £400m of extra funding for childcare places but providers remain concerned about the lack of trained staff to fill the roles.
