More than half of the centres surveyed said that they no longer provided any on-site childcare, despite an urgent demand for nursery places, with more than 50 per cent of centres saying they were oversubscribed for childcare.
Percentage of Sure Start children's centres planning to reduce staff
Last year, the duty to provide childcare in deprived areas was removed by the Government.
4Children said that the census suggested that around 2,000 children's centres across the country were offering no childcare at all, and that it was concerned about the long-term impact of this on the provision of high-quality, affordable childcare, particularly in more disadvantaged areas.
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