Boris axes London childcare team

As part of a major restructuring programme within the LDA, childcare has been re-absorbed into a new youth and volunteering team.

The Childcare Affordability Programme, CAP 09, runs until 2012, and other childcare projects will continue through the youth and volunteering team.

An LDA spokeswoman confirmed that no-one has replaced Denise Burke, who has left the LDA after six years as head of youth and childcare. Ms Burke developed the Childcare Affordability Programme and led the development of the first intergenerational centre.
In January Ms Burke announced that she was leaving her position to advise national and local organisations on influencing policymaking (News, 14 January).

The remaining members of the childcare team now fall under the scope of youth and volunteering, which is headed by Colin Jones, who took up his position as director of youth and volunteering in February.

Brendan Loughran, LDA’s group director, Learning and Skills, said that supporting children, young people and families was a priority for the LDA.

‘The London Development Agency remains committed to supporting parents and carers in the capital through its £8m investment in the Childcare Affordability Programme, which is providing sustained employment through skills, training and improvements in childcare over the next three years. This support is being coordinated by the LDA's Youth and Volunteering team. We are confident that we have the right team in place to deliver on our commitments under CAP 09 to London’s parents. The changes in the team structure reflect the need to provide increased benefits to London families and a seamless approach to getting more people into the workforce,’ he said.

He added that changes to the agency’s structure would allow it to focus on key policy areas such as youth engagement and skills to reflect an increasing priority on investing in London's young people.