London councils make up nine of the ten authorities with the lowest take-up of the two-year-old offer, with 22,000 children across the capital missing out on the free hours. Tower Hamlets, Hackney and Lewisham were at the bottom of the table.
Some London boroughs have a much higher take-up, however, including Richmond (80.6 per cent), Barking and Dagenham (72.3 per cent) and Bromley (71.8 per cent).
The Government criticised councils it said were ‘underperforming’ despite £153m to deliver the places and £23m to support expansion.
Childcare Minister Sam Gyimah said, ‘We are raising the bar and expecting more from local authorities to help children and families access this life-changing offer of free childcare.
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