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Analysis: Holiday childcare will become harder to find

A survey by Daycare Trust finds 'a gaping hole' in coverage, with wide regional varations. Local authority cuts and the need to follow the EYFS will exacerbate the problem, says Mary Evans.

The annual scramble by parents to find childcare during the summer holidays will become even tougher next year, when Government policy changes and spending cuts come into full force.

Only a fifth of local authorities are confident that there is enough holiday childcare in their area this year, according to a survey by the Daycare Trust, compared with a third of councils polled last year.

The Holiday Childcare Costs Survey 2010 warns, 'The picture is complex and highly volatile.' The average cost of a week's holiday care in England and Wales has risen by 3 per cent over the past year to £93, with fees ranging from nearly £120 for a place in a private and voluntary (PVI) sector setting in the East of England to just under £59 at a council scheme in Wales.

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