Parents miss out on free childcare

LITTLE more than half of families promised 30 hours of free childcare are actually getting them, analysis suggests.

The Government set up the scheme for pre-school children in 2017, saying it would save 600,000 households £5,000 a year. It doubled the 15 free hours for three to four-year-olds, and was aimed at families where both parents work more than 16 hours a week.

However, analysis by insurance firm Royal London suggests only 300,000 families get the promised 30 hours because nurseries struggling with funding are unable to offer enough places. Families minister Nadhim Zahawi said the figures presented in the analysis were ‘wholly misleading’.