Delivering Regeneration: How collaborative contracts are transforming place-making
Discover how collaborative contracting is helping councils deliver regeneration more effectively with this free special report from LocalGov and NEC Contracts.
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 |
Over 300 schools to open nurseries in childcare cost drive
23/03/2026 The Government has announced that more than 300 schools across England will open or expand nurseries from September. |
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. |
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. |
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. |
Council loses legal challenge over nursery fees
12/02/2025 Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole (BCP) Council has failed in its bid to challenge a decision made by the Local Government and Social Care Ombudsman. |
Nursery fees set to jump 10%
11/02/2025 The rise in employers' national insurance will force most nurseries to increase their fees by 10%, a new survey has revealed. |
£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. |
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. |
Council chiefs warn of nursery closures
05/07/2023 Nine in 10 councils said they were concerned that nursery closures would undermine capacity ahead of the extension of the 30 hours free childcare scheme. |
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. |
Childcare provider fined record £225,000
22/05/2023 Britain’s biggest childcare provider given record fine after mouse droppings were found in the kitchen and the children’s play areas of one of its nurseries. |
Council asked to reimburse father for nursery fees
19/05/2023 Windsor and Maidenhead Council has been asked to partially reimburse the fees a father paid while his daughter was receiving free nursery care. |
Early years spending ‘seriously eroded’
12/12/2022 Spending on early years and higher education has been ‘seriously eroded’ by higher-than-expected inflation, financial experts have warned. |
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. |
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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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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Council chiefs warn of ‘detrimental impact’ of nursery cuts
24/10/2018 Local authority leaders have warned that Government plans to cut funding are placing maintained nurseries and support for children with special needs at risk. |
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Nurseries need ‘urgent investment’ to cope with teacher shortage
01/11/2016 Save the Children has called for urgent investment in early years education to cope with a shortage of 10,000 nursery school teachers. |
