Chancellor of the Exchequer Jeremy Hunt has extended subsidised childcare to children as young as 9 months old in what has been described by one economic expert as a “crowd-pleaser” in the run-up to the next general election.
In a move which had been widely trailed in the media, Hunt announced in Wednesday’s Budget 30 hours a week of free childcare, which is currently available only for the parents in England of children aged 3 or 4, will be available for eligible households with children as young as 9 months old.
He said: “The 30 hours offer will now start from the moment maternity or paternity leave ends. It’s a package worth on average £6,500 every year for a family with a two-year-old child using 35 hours of childcare every week and reduces their childcare costs by nearly 60 percent. Because it is such a large reform, we will introduce it in stages to ensure there is enough supply in the market.”…