Labour Still haven't confirmed they will go ahead with the 30hours free childcare from 9 months old in Sept 2025?!

[anedotalreassurance]

I have searched high and low... The Labour manifesto regarding their childcare policy is worded very loosely so in essence they can renege on the policy when they announce their budget in Oct.

All the other government website always add a caveat saying the policy was under the Tory government.

Honestly if Keir Starmer reneges on this policy the Labour Government will never have my vote again!! I only voted for them because they said they will keep the policy but they have been suspiciously mute about the topic since they have been elected!

Anyone else worried?

Honestly, I didn't expect the policy to survive the election regardless of who would be in power. 15 hours was reasonable but the 30 seemed a bit hard to believe for me.

I would rather they funded the current hours properly, avoiding top ups and making them year round rather than term time
only, than adding more hours.

It always felt like a policy the Tories introduced so that Labour would have to rescind it, TBH.

You know that it’s not really free hours right? It’s subsidised hours because the government don’t fully reimburse providers for their actual costs.

Yanbu to say that they need to make things clear soon for parents and providers so that they can lay plans.

I know what you mean!! Especially because they have spoke about so many other issues but very quiet on the funded hours. They confirmed free breakfast clubs i suppose, but provides little respite for parents currently paying second mortgages all in the name childcare

Do you actually save money?

We don’t with the 15, really. The amount of subsidies and things mean it’s about £100 less than it was without any free hours. I know every little counts but that means costs have gone up so much that extra days cost a fortune now… it’d have been better without the scheme at all, I think.

But with 30 hours the saving would be significant no?

I don’t think so, because they’ll put rates up again to cover what they lose. They can’t afford to stay open otherwise.

The rate paid for the funded hours varies by council but it’s just under £4 here…

Unless they change the ratios for babies, it just won’t work. Nobody wants them to change the ratios for babies because that seems unsafe; and it must be hard enough putting a 9 month old in nursery anyway.

As it stands at the moment, my £560 bill went down to £460, and that would go down to £320, I think - but then they’d increase prices or subsidies.

Martin Lewis seemed sure that they’d roll it out but then update the scheme this year to be a household income of £100k as the limit, rather than a sole salary, and perhaps that would do enough, but I’m not sure! He’s been very quiet on it too. Googling, I can see Rachel Reeves promising they’d keep it in April - perhaps she feels that’s all the reassurance she needed to give.

If they change the cap to a household income of £100k that takes most middle earners out of the running... Which is still crappy for most working couples. Sounds like there is no winning

Jeremy Hunt deliberately introduced a policy he knew was unaffordable. He never expected to implement it himself and, if by a miracle he remained Chancellor after the election, he'd have forced childcare providers to foot the bill.

They did exactly the same in the 2015 election. They weren't expecting to win outright and hoped they could blame the LibDems if they had to rescind it.
When they realised they couldn't do that, they insisted providers must make up the shortfall.

100% that @Joleyne