Cap on places threatens free childcare drive

MINISTERS face a fresh crisis over a flagship policy to expand free childcare, with a third of councils forced to turn away youngsters.

Local authority bosses have capped the number of free places at private nurseries, which means some children are being turned away or forced to leave.

Labour MSP Jenny Marra raised concerns that families were having to travel outside their communities, and that siblings were being split up as a result. She quizzed Audito tor General Caroline Gardner at Holyrood yesterday after a damning report which found a £160million funding black hole in Nicola Sturgeon’s flagship policy, raising fears that the plans to extend free childcare were under ‘significant risk’.

Miss Sturgeon has pledged to almost double free childcare by 2020, raising the number of paid-for nursery hours from 600 1,140 for three and four-year-olds, and eligible two-year-olds. But Mrs Marra said she had been contacted by constituents with children too young or too old to qualify for the free places, saying they were filled by others to allow councils to meet targets.

She told the public audit and post-legislative scrutiny committee parents were having to send their children to different nurseries – sometimes outwith their area, saying: ‘I certainly know that is happening.’

Rebecca Smallwood, senior auditor at Audit Scotland, confirmed that councils were limiting places at private nurseries.

‘A third of councils at the moment cap places with their partner providers,’ she said.

Childcare Minister Maree Todd said: ‘As part of our very ambitious pledge to almost double funded early learning and childcare entitlement to 1,140 hours by 2020 we will introduce a Funding Follows the Child approach. This will ensure parents have a greater choice of providers.’