Nursery World - Nine in 10 councils warn that nursery closures will threaten expanded 30 hours

Nine in 10 councils are concerned about having enough nursery places ahead of the expansion of the 30 hours from next year.

88 per cent of councils said they are concerned that nursery closures in 2023 will be ‘significant’ and ‘undermine sufficiency’, PHOTO: Adobe Stock

A new report by isos Partnership, commissioned by the Local Government Association (LGA), finds:

The findings are based on a survey of local authority early years teams back in January, which received 98 responses, representing 65 per cent of upper-tier local authorities and county councils. The report also draws on analysis of Ofsted data.

Sector organisations warn of failure of expanded 30 hours

The National Day Nurseries Association (NDNA), said the ‘stark report’ was ‘another clear warning to Government that its policy risks failure without interventions to support the sector’, while the Early Years Alliance argued that the ‘only way expansion [of the scheme] won’t result in complete disaster is if the Government effectively engages with the sector and ensures funding is adequate.’ It said that in its current form, the scheme will only lead to further closures.

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