Breaking down England's fiscal devolution plans
David Phillips of the IFS tells LocalGov why England's regional finance reforms are modest by global comparison and what ministers still need to get right.
Warwickshire CC approves £8.2m early years funding
23/07/2026 An investment of more than £8.2m has been approved by Warwickshire County Council to safeguard over 500 early years nursery places. |
School nursery plan faces 'reality check', report warns
20/05/2026 The Government's flagship scheme to create 3,000 school-based nurseries in England faces a significant gap between ambition and delivery, landmark study says |
New guidance aims to support smooth reception starts for children
16/04/2026 Fresh Government guidance has been issued for early years staff to support school readiness among children starting reception. |
MPs call for overhaul of early years' healthcare support
22/01/2026 MPs have called for an overall of early years’ healthcare support, including more health visitors and Family Hubs, and a new vaccines strategy. |
Further evidence emerges around councils’ early years underspend
08/12/2025 Further evidence has emerged that councils are either holding back or diverting money that is earmarked for the early years sector. |
Rising demand threatens early years support, LGA warns
24/11/2025 A new report reveals that councils and early-years practitioners are seeing a sharp rise in both the number and complexity of needs among under-fives. |
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. |
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. |
Labour pledges £15m to support 300 new nurseries
26/09/2024 Three hundred nurseries will be opened by next September to help address the rising demand for childcare, Education Secretary Bridget Phillipson announces. |
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. |
Leicester urged not to close half its family hubs
26/06/2024 Parents have launched a petition calling on Leicester City Council to drop plans to close six of its 12 children, young people and families centres. |
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. |
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. |
LGA calls for family hubs extension
10/01/2024 Council bosses have called for an extension of the family hubs programme after the Government announced that all local authorities involved in the scheme offer access to a centre. |
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’. |
Plan for schools needs local government ‘at its heart’
29/11/2023 England’s children’s services chiefs have set out a future vision to fix an ‘incoherent and fragmented’ education system. |
