VE Day: Council duties under the Armed Forces Covenant
As we mark the 80th anniversary of VE Day, Geoff Wild, Legal & Governance Consultant, looks at the duties of councils under the Armed Forces Covenant.
Council ordered to investigate nursery payment policies
08/05/2025 BCP Council has been told it needs to do better when it comes to overseeing nursery fees when they are providing the Government’s free places scheme. |
Early intervention spending down 40%
08/04/2025 Spending on early intervention children's services has plummeted by more than 40% since the onset of austerity, research has found. |
Disadvantaged children ‘priced out’ of childcare
20/03/2025 Council leaders called for a review of who is entitled to free childcare after a survey revealed disadvantaged children were ‘priced out’ of nursery places. |
Childcare providers warn of cuts to funded places
13/03/2025 Nurseries, preschools and childminders face a ‘perfect storm of challenges’ amid the expansion of the Government's funded childcare scheme, survey reveals. |
Government announces nursery top-up fees ban
21/02/2025 Parents using Government-funded free childcare cannot be required to pay top-up fees for items such as nappies and snacks, according to new guidance. |
Labour urged to take action on child poverty
07/01/2025 The Government will need to take ‘action on multiple fronts’ to lift more children out of poverty, a think-tank has said. |
Early years gets £2bn boost
10/12/2024 The early years sector is set to receive a £2bn funding boost next year as the final phase of the mass expansion of free childcare is delivered. |
Children’s care based on capacity not need, commissioner warns
05/11/2024 Decisions about the care of vulnerable children are often driven by local capacity and resource rather than need, the children’s commissioner has warned. |
More than £1bn to be invested in ‘crumbling’ schools
28/10/2024 The Government has confirmed that £1.4bn will be allocated in the Budget to rebuild ‘crumbling’ schools. |
Sure Start Centres reduced criminal offending, says IFS
23/10/2024 Young people who had lived near a Sure Start centre between the age of 0 to 4-years-old were 20% less likely to have a custodial sentence, think-tank finds. |
£15m fund launched to support childcare expansion
17/10/2024 The Government has announced a £15m funding initiative to support the creation of up to 300 new or expanded school-based nurseries across England. |
Quarter of councils not ready for childcare expansion
27/08/2024 A quarter of councils lack confidence in their ability to expand Government-funded childcare support in September, Local Government Association reveals. |
Summer childcare costs exceed £1,000
19/07/2024 Families will be paying an average of £1,049 for summer childcare for children aged between four and 14, a new survey has revealed. |
Poll reveals support for tax increases to boost public services
01/07/2024 More than half of UK households support investment in public services even if it means they are taxed more, according to new analysis. |
Councils’ confidence for childcare roll-out ‘worryingly low’
27/06/2024 Local authorities in England have raised concerns that they will be unable to meet demand in the next phase of the expansion of free childcare. |
Nearly 85,000 childcare places needed, MPs warn
29/05/2024 Around 84,500 more childcare places and 40,000 extra staff are required by September 2025 if the Government is to deliver on its childcare support plans. |
Early years roll-out will get ‘significantly more challenging’
24/04/2024 Just one in 10 councils are confident they can provide enough early years places to deliver the Government’s childcare expansion on time, a spending watchdog has warned. |
Tax haven crackdown announced by childcare body
08/04/2024 The membership body for children’s homes has announced a change in its membership criteria to combat the use of tax havens by childcare providers. |
Only a third of councils have enough childcare places
19/03/2024 Only a third of English councils are reporting sufficient childcare for parents working full-time, a new survey has revealed. |
New £4.9m bonus scheme amid childcare expansion concerns
02/02/2024 The Government has launched a recruitment drive ahead of its free childcare expansion, but a major early years organisation has warned it will do little to boost staff numbers before rollout. |
Councils raise alarm over free childcare offer
25/01/2024 Ahead of the roll-out of the expansion to free early education entitlements, councils have warned there may not be enough childcare places to meet demand. |
Parents ‘set for disappointment’ over childcare expansion
08/01/2024 The Early Years Alliance has warned that while the Government’s offer of an extended childcare entitlement ‘may sound good in theory, the reality is likely to be very different’. |
Wraparound childcare: what do parents want?
29/11/2023 Ellen Broomé, managing director of Coram Family and Childcare, shares what must be done to make sure families can access the provision they need. |
LGA calls for Healthy Start uplift
13/11/2023 The value of the Healthy Start scheme should be increased by 20% to compensate for food inflation, the Local Government Association (LGA) has said. |
Childcare expansion has ‘little to offer’ poorest families
26/09/2023 The free childcare expansion continues a trend of prioritising support for working parents rather than helping low-income families, financial experts warn. |
Let renting childminders work from home, minister tells landlords
21/08/2023 Children and families minister Claire Coutinho has told developers and social landlords to allow childminders to work from rented properties. |
Free childcare funding formula published
21/07/2023 The expansion of free childcare in England is set to be backed by ‘fair funding for all age groups’, the Government has announced. |
First councils chosen to trial wraparound childcare
10/07/2023 The Government has selected 16 councils to begin the delivery of its wraparound childcare plans for parents of primary school aged children in England. |
Childcare payments boosted by 47%
28/06/2023 Childcare payments to working families on universal credit are to increase from today by 47% in England, Scotland and Wales. |
Universal Credit childcare payments to rise nearly 50%
31/05/2023 Parents on Universal Credit will be able to claim hundreds of pounds more to cover childcare costs from the end of June, the Government has announced. |
Campaigners call for reform of pre-school childcare
26/05/2023 Campaigners are calling for a fundamental reform of the pre-school childcare system to make sure all children benefit. |
Councils accused of holding back childcare funding
10/05/2023 Councils in England are holding back millions of pounds of funding meant for free childcare places, according to nursery leaders. |
Increase UC childcare cost cap, council chiefs say
13/03/2023 Working parents should be helped with childcare costs by raising the cap on what they can claim back under Universal Credit, local government leaders say. |
Chancellor to help cut the cost of childcare
13/03/2023 The Government will help cut the cost of childcare in Wednesday's budget as part of a drive to assist people into work, chancellor Jeremy Hunt has said. |
Half of local areas report affordable childcare shortage
09/03/2023 Only half of local areas have sufficient childcare for children under two, a new survey published today has revealed. |
Childcare pressures putting families ‘at risk’
31/01/2023 The cost-of-living crisis is forcing childcare providers to increase their prices and reduce their staff numbers, a new survey has revealed. |
Childcare offer ‘complex, patchy and costly’, think tank says
22/09/2022 A think tank has called for a radical overhaul of childcare as research finds that the cost of childcare is forcing new parents to pay to return to work. |
Scottish nurseries face financial ‘uncertainty’
12/08/2022 Nurseries across Scotland have urged councils to make a decision on the hourly rates they will pay to early learning and childcare providers. |
Only a quarter of local authorities have enough holiday childcare this summer
19/07/2022 Just over a quarter (27%) of local authorities in England have enough holiday childcare available to meet the demand of parents working full-time in their area, new research has shown today. |
Slash ‘red tape’ to reduce childcare costs, think tank says
16/05/2022 Government should reduce the amount of regulation governing childcare in order to reduce the economic impact of high childcare costs, think tank says. |
Cost of nursery up £1,500
04/04/2022 The average family now spends nearly £1,500 more on a nursery place than five years ago, an analysis by Labour has revealed. |
Survey reveals drop in the availability of childcare places
22/03/2022 An increasing number of local authorities are warning they do not have enough childcare places available, a new survey has revealed. |
Report hits out at 'dysfunctional' early childhood care system
20/10/2021 Early education and childcare is a 'dysfunctional system' that needs a radical re-think, a report has concluded today. |
MPs call for post-COVID recovery strategy for new parents
07/10/2021 MPs have called on Government to publish a COVID-19 recovery strategy for new parents which should include a fund to help councils arrange in-person visits. |
Disadvantaged children ‘locked out’ of early years opportunities
19/08/2021 Research suggests Government’s policy of 30 hours of funded childcare for working parents has widened the gap between disadvantaged children and their peers. |
Councils concerned about future of childcare
29/07/2021 Local support for children and families during the pandemic has been wide-ranging but there have also been notable local variations, new study reveals. |
A third of councils report fall in holiday childcare places
20/07/2021 A third of all local authorities have reported a decrease in the number of holiday childcare places available in their area, according to a new survey. |
Childcare crisis deepened by pandemic, study reveals
01/07/2021 The availability and affordability crisis in childcare is being exacerbated by the pandemic and subsequent childcare closures, warns a gender equality group. |
Ministers 'knew early years was underfunded' argues charity
15/06/2021 The Government has been accused of knowingly under-funding local authorities on 'free childcare' places by the Early Years Alliance. |
A third of councils see closure of childcare providers
09/03/2021 Over a third (35%) of local authorities in England have seen a rise in the number of childcare providers permanently closing down in the last year, according to an annual survey. |
Councils urged to check 'free must mean free' on nursery places
28/01/2021 The ombudsman has urged councils to ensure nurseries in their areas really are providing free early years places. |
Councils anticipate ‘permanent closure’ of childcare providers
22/12/2020 Over half of local authorities in England anticipate the permanent closure of childcare providers after COVID funding ends, a childcare charity has found. |
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Calls to invest £240m in early years provision
30/10/2020 A quarter of early years providers in the most deprived local authorities could close by Christmas without additional funding, a new survey has revealed. |
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Think tank calls for a 'family stimulus' boost
28/10/2020 A 'family stimulus' would help support hard-hit families through the pandemic, a new report has said. |
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Counties warn childcare closures will hit remote areas the hardest
25/09/2020 One in ten childcare providers in England’s most remote areas are at risk of closure this winter, county councils have warned today. |
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Informal childcare exempt from local lockdown rules
22/09/2020 Councils have welcomed the announcement that informal childcare and other caring arrangements will be exempt from local lockdown restrictions. |
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Early years’ workers ‘overworked and undervalued’, study reveals
05/08/2020 Low pay, a high workload and a lack of career development for early years’ workers risk impacting on the provision of care and education services for the under-fives, report says. |
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Call to 'supercharge' early years services
17/07/2020 Early years services are failing to target the children that most need support, a report has warned today. |
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Report warns childcare sector at risk of mass closure
25/06/2020 A quarter of early years providers warn they expect to close within the year due to the impact of coronavirus, a new survey has revealed. |
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Majority of childcare providers have fears over re-opening safely, survey reveals
29/05/2020 Only 13% of early years childcare providers are confident about opening their doors from next week, a new survey has revealed. |
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Councils given power to reallocate free childcare funding
24/04/2020 Councils have been given the freedom to move government funding for free childcare entitlements to meet demand during the coronavirus outbreak. |
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Disadvantaged children less likely to benefit from free childcare, auditors warn
13/03/2020 Disadvantaged families are less likely to take up free early education and childcare places, auditors have warned today. |
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Parents face ‘postcode lottery’ for expensive childcare, survey reveals
26/02/2020 Parents are paying 5% more for childcare for the under-twos than they were one year ago, according to an annual survey of childcare costs. |
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Tories promise cash boost for infrastructure and skills
25/11/2019 A Conservative Government would deliver record investments in infrastructure, childcare and skills, according to the party’s manifesto. |
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Councils receive free childcare funding boost
31/10/2019 Councils offering 15 hours free childcare for disadvantaged two-year-olds will receive an increase in their hourly funding, the Government has confirmed today. |
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Parents’ childcare bills set to double over summer
16/07/2019 Working parents could face a childcare bill of up to £800 during the summer holiday - more than double the cost of term time childcare, a children’s charity has warned. |
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London parents 'locked out' of work due to rising childcare costs
06/06/2019 Nearly two in three local authorities in London do not have enough childcare to meet the demand from parents of school-age children, new research has revealed. |
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More men needed in early years education, minister says
24/04/2019 The Government has launched a new project designed to encourage more men to work in early years education. |
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Northants apologises for underpaying childminders
08/03/2019 Northamptonshire County Council has apologised ‘unreservedly’ for underpaying childminders and nurseries by thousands of pounds. |
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Childcare funding ‘insufficient’, council chiefs warn
28/02/2019 Government funding for nursery school places often fails to cover the costs for those providing the care, local authority leaders have warned. |
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Early years workers ‘struggling financially'
17/01/2019 Childcare workers are struggling financially and many are forced to claim state benefits, an education think tank has found. |
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Parents support 30 hour childcare scheme despite underfunding
12/09/2018 Over 80% of surveyed parents said their children were better prepared to start school due to the 30 hours free childcare scheme, despite concerns over funding. |
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Parents ‘struggling’ with childcare costs, TUC warns
03/09/2018 Working parents with children under five have seen nursery fees increase three times faster than their wages over the past decade, trades unions have revealed. |
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Foster parents to receive free childcare
22/06/2018 Foster parents will have access to the government’s 30 hours free childcare offer for the first time from September. |
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Whitehall’s free childcare policy ‘crippling’ nurseries
20/06/2018 Nurseries are calling on the Government to ‘wake up’ as a new survey reveals the spiralling costs of their flagship free childcare policy. |
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Council websites making ‘progress’ in presentation about childcare on mobiles
18/05/2018 Local authority websites have shown ‘progress’ in the presentation of information and services on mobile devices about children's services, ICT body reveals. |
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Whitehall figures on childcare funding ‘misleading’, MPs say
26/03/2018 MPs have called on the Government to pay a higher hourly rate to local authorities for the 30-hours free childcare scheme. |
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Research highlights lack of male staff in council nurseries
15/03/2018 New figures have revealed that only 5% of staff in the Early Years sector are male, leading to calls to 'widen the talent pool'. |
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Price ‘surge’ undermines childcare policies
28/02/2018 A surge in the price of childcare is undermining the Government’s investment in support schemes to help people get access to childcare services, trust finds. |
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Campaigners warn council nurseries are not open long enough for working parents
20/02/2018 Nine out of ten council nurseries in Scotland are not providing cover for ‘normal’ working hours, new research has claimed today. |
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Cost of childcare has risen four times faster than wages, research finds
20/10/2017 The cost of childcare for the youngest children has risen four times faster than wages since 2008, according to the TUC. |
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Gov’s free childcare policy undermines social mobility, report says
28/09/2017 The Government’s free childcare policy could undermine social mobility by widening the gap in school readiness between disadvantaged children and their more advantaged peers, social mobility experts say. |
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Nursery staff facing pay cuts over free childcare rollout says think tank
04/09/2017 The Government’s new 30-hours free childcare scheme is so underfunded that nurseries would have to pay their staff below the minimum wage to make it work, according to new research. |
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Weekly cost of childcare has risen by over 50%, opposition says
26/07/2017 The Government is ‘failing working parents’, Labour says as analysis reveals the cost of childcare has risen dramatically since 2010. |
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Summer holiday brings nearly £3bn in childcare bills, report finds
20/07/2017 Parents are facing a nearly £3bn childcare bill this summer and will be forced to either pay or lose wages by taking time-off, research reveals. |
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Nurseries warn it's 'crunch time' for free childcare funding
30/06/2017 Nurseries will only a receive an ‘inadequate’ increase of 40p per hour in order to provide 30 hours of free childcare, new research has revealed. |
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Rise in business rates will threaten nurseries, warns committee
21/06/2017 A Scottish parliamentary committee will write to local authorities and the Scottish Government about pressure childcare organisations are facing over increased business rates. |
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Parties should adopt Childcare Passport plan, nurseries say
16/05/2017 Nurseries are calling on all of the major political parties to include in their manifestos a ‘radical’ new passport scheme to simplify childcare funding. |
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Whitehall’s 30 hours free childcare policy ‘in danger’ as nurseries opt out
18/04/2017 The Government's promise to provide parents with 30 free hours of childcare is in danger as daycare nurseries opt out leaving 50,000 children without places. |
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Whitehall’s free childcare policy to receive extra £55m boost
11/04/2017 The Government has unlocked £55m of investment as a boost to their flagship childcare scheme. |
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Thousands of nursery workers paid ‘illegal poverty wages’, study reveals
17/03/2017 One in 10 nursery workers are being paid below the minimum wage despite nurseries benefitting from Government subsidies, new analysis reveals. |
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Parents shut out of workplace by ‘crippling childcare costs’
02/03/2017 Parents are spending over £6,000 a year – double what families spend on food and drink annually – for a part-time nursery place, child care charity reports. |
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Free childcare could put quality at risk warn councils
08/02/2017 Councils have warned that the extension of free childcare could put quality and availability of services at risk, a new survey has revealed. |
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Whitehall should ‘abolish’ free childcare, think tank says
06/02/2017 The Government should abolish universal free childcare and directly target support at the most disadvantaged families, free-market think tank argues. |
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Families with disabled children ‘left in dark’ about childcare
26/01/2017 Families with disabled children are frequently ‘left in the dark’ when it comes to childcare due to a lack of information from local authorities, charity finds. |
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Government announces £50m grant to fund free childcare
10/01/2017 The education secretary today announced a £50m grant will be made available to support the delivery of the Government’s 30 hours free childcare offer. |
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Oxfordshire CC to waive children's centres' rents for one year
22/12/2016 Oxfordshire CC has agreed to waive the rents of children's centres run by community groups for up to a year if they face closure. |
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Government ‘complacent’ over child protection issues warn MPs
16/12/2016 The Government has been accused of being too slow to improve child protection services, a report from MPs has warned today. |
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New funding for free childcare falls ‘woefully short’
02/12/2016 Councils have welcomed proposals to increase hourly rate for providers delivering 15 hours of free childcare—but are concerned it will not be ‘sufficient’. |
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Quality of early years provision at risk due to reforms
28/09/2016 The quality of early years provision could be put at risk due to government funding reforms, new research has warned. |
