For too long, parents, particularly mothers, have been held back by the sky-high cost of childcare. It’s unfair to families who struggle to balance work and home life while trying to make ends meet, and it has been a drag on the whole country. When parents can’t work the hours they want, businesses lose out on talent and the economy grows more slowly, meaning fewer pounds in pockets.
It is one of my personal missions for this government that every child has the same opportunities to thrive, no matter their background or the financial position of their family. People across the country have been let down by successive governments, who have not done their part in making that happen. Parents who want to work more and get on have been held back from improving their lot and that of their family.
But today, life gets a bit easier for working parents. This Labour government is ensuring that families with children as young as nine months can now access 30 hours of free childcare a week. That’s a saving of up to £7,500 a year per child – money that will make a real difference at a time when every penny counts. We promised to deliver this support, and despite the challenges, we’ve kept that promise. By this term alone, over half a million children will benefit – more than anyone expected.
This is good news for parents, who will find it easier to balance work and family life. It’s good news for children, who will arrive at school ready to learn and thrive. And it’s good news for our economy. Britain isn’t broken, but for working people, it feels stuck. People feel like no matter how hard they work, or how much they put in, getting ahead in life is out of reach, and families are squeezing every penny to make ends meet.
My number one focus is on putting more money in working people’s pockets. The childcare rollout is helping deliver that. The OBR predicts that – by 2027 – the additional help will get 60,000 parents back to work. That is a huge boost to the economy, which will drive up living standards.
The support that we have already rolled out particularly benefits those on the lowest incomes. One in five parents earning between £20,000 and £40,000 has increased their working hours since this government brought in an additional 15 hours of free childcare last year.
This is just the start. Alongside childcare, we’re rolling out free breakfast clubs for every primary school child, holiday childcare, creating thousands of new nursery places, increasing access to free school meals, capping the cost of school uniforms, and providing extra support through new family hubs.
This is all part of building an economy that works for working people, where families are better off and every child gets the best start in life. It’s our Plan for Change in action – supporting households with the cost of living and building a stronger Britain for all of us.
