The Daily Telegraph - Saturday
Sunak’s free childcare extension is already a car crash, says nanny boss
RISHI SUNAK’S extension of free childcare is “already a car crash”, the founder of the nanny agency once backed by the Prime Minister’s wife has warned.
The Government is extending free childcare for children over the age of two from next week, but experts warn that the infrastructure and staffing is still not in place to make it work.
Rachel Carrell, the chief executive and founder of Koru Kids, said frustrated parents were “getting annoyed at nurseries” as they can’t find places or are being charged more as nurseries struggle to cope with mounting costs.
She said:: “There is absolutely no supply plan, I literally can’t see how it’s not going to be a car crash.”
She said that the UK is “probably one of the hardest countries to be a mum in”. Ms Carrell added: “We’re not solving [childcare issues] through government support and we also don’t have a strong culture of family pitching in. We also have very high housing costs and a whole bunch of other pressures on families. The pinch point in the system is the parent, particularly the mum.”
Rishi Sunak was last year investigated over shares held by his wife, Akshata Murty, in Koru Kids, which was boosted by a pilot scheme unveiled in the Budget that spring. He apologised for the error which was ruled to be inadvertent by the standards commissioner. Ms Murty donated her shares in Koru Kids to charity earlier this year.
A Department for Education spokesman said: “We are confident that every local authority is currently meeting its statutory duty to secure sufficient numbers of childcare places.”