Instead of offering free or ‘very cheap’ childcare to every family with a child over nine months old, Labour is looking at giving more support to poorer families, while tapering it off for those on ‘higher’ incomes, sources told The Guardian. The current government's plans for childcare expansion are centred on working parents.
The online article published by the national newspaper quotes a Labour spokesperson as saying, ‘An expansion of childcare to all children is not Labour’s policy. Last year Labour announced that as part of its plans to modernise childcare that we will deliver free breakfast clubs for all primary school pupils in England, paid for by closing the non-dom tax loophole, and allowing councils to offer more childcare provision where they are able to do so.
'Everything in our manifesto will be fully costed, fully funded, and subject to our fiscal rules.’
According to the article, Labour officials are now 'fleshing out' the details of the policy, with sources saying they are looking at a range of options to extend support to as many families as possible without breaking the party’s pledge to ensure Government debt is falling by the end of the parliament.
It goes on to reveal that Labour officials are ‘looking at whether the existing earnings threshold for the 30 hours (where both parents are working and earning at least £120 per week, but no more than £100,000 a year) can be adjusted so families that fall below it do not get the full allocation, as a way to pay for more support.
Another option the political party is allegedly considering is to give schools money to offer subsidised childcare places.
'The devil, is always, in the detail'.
The Early Years Alliance said that ‘the devil is, as always, in the detail’, questioning how means-testing would work in practice, what steps would be taken to prevent creating an additional workload burden on providers and at what level would any subsidised hour be funded.
Chief executive Neil Leitch said, ‘It is clear that the current approach of making grand promises of more and more free childcare without fully considering the funding needed to make them viable – something that parties from across the political spectrum have been guilty of – simply isn’t working.
‘Ultimately, whoever is in government after the next election, what the early years needs is a clear and comprehensive strategy, underpinned by adequate investment and with the needs of the child at its centre. The sector is unlikely to survive anything less.’
Purnima Tanuku, chief executive of National Day Nurseries Association (NDNA), agreed that ‘Any future childcare policy must be fully costed and funding rates must keep up with inflation and rising costs that providers have to pay.
She added, ‘It’s also essential that policy-makers engage with the sector and work with them on their plans to make sure they are deliverable and sustainable.’
Dr Mary-Ann Stephenson, director of the Women’s Budget Group, said the Labour must not lose its 'ambition for transformative changes that could provide the bedrock of a healthier and more equal country and economy.'