Nursery World - Mini-Budget: Chancellor's comments highlight future childcare reforms

Chancellor Kwasi Kwarteng has signalled the Government's intention to focus on bringing forward reforms to improve access to affordable, flexible childcare.

The Government has said it will reform childcare PHOTO Adobe Stock

Sector organisations were quick to respond saying that the Chancellor's comments suggested that the Government was pressing ahead with ratio changes.

However, the Department for Education confirmed to Nursery World that it was still considering responses to the childcare consultation on the plans, which closed on 16 September.

The DfE said that as the chancellor has confirmed, the department would be taking forward reforms to improve parents’ access to affordable, flexible childcare, which remains a major government priority.

The DfE said it would set out more detail on these plans in due course.

Delivering the Mini-Budget today, chancellor Kwaski Kwarteng said, ‘There are too many barriers for enterprise. We need a new approach to break them down and that means reforming the supply side of our economy. Over the coming weeks my cabinet colleagues will update the house on every aspect of our ambitious agenda, those updates will cover the planning system, business regulation, childcare, immigration, agricultural productively and digital infrastructure.’

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