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A third of local authorities do not have enough two-year-old places

A Freedom of Information (FOI) request by Labour reveals that one in three councils believe they do not have enough places to meet the Government’s two-year-old offer.

The Government has promised 15 hours a week of free childcare for 130,000 disadvantaged two-year-olds from September.

Department for Education figures earlier in the month revealed that 92,000 of the disadvantaged eligible two-year-olds have so far taken up the offer, leaving 38,000 places unclaimed.

From September 2014, the number of two-year-old places is set to double to 260,000.

According to the FOI data, more than 30 per cent of councils are unsure or do not think they will be able to secure enough places for the extension of the offer.

In October, the education and childcare minister Elizabeth Truss stated to the Education Select Committee that she had received no evidence that there was a shortage of childcare places for two-year-olds.

The Labour party has argued that the Government are in denial as their flagship childcare policy fails.

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