Ipswich Conservatives have welcomed new figures showing that 3011 children are benefiting from the Government’s 30 hours free childcare offer in the Suffolk County Council area.
The offer saves working families around £5,000 per year per child. There are now nearly 300,000 children in 30 hours places in England. It’s backed by a record investment of £6 billion per year in childcare, which includes an extra £1 billion per year by 2020 to deliver the free entitlements.
High quality childcare not only helps children get the best start in life, but also supports many parents who want or need to work. Beneficiaries of the scheme have reported improved family finances as well as a better work-life balance.
Alongside introducing and increasing the National Living Wage, and raising the personal allowance, childcare support is one of a number of ways this Government is helping families with the cost of living.
Parliament has voted on measures to introduce new eligibility criteria for free school meals and the early years pupil premium, which will mean around 50,000 more children will benefit from a free school meal by 2022.
Labour were caught out making misleading claims on free school meals showing once again that they won’t let facts get in the way of their political game-playing. As a Channel 4 rigorous fact-check of Labour’s claim stated, Labour missed a fundamental point: ‘No one who is currently eligible for free school meals under Universal Credit will lose their entitlement’.
Please see here for full details:
Reliable childcare gives parents peace of mind and makes day to day life that bit easier. We want to help people with the cost of living. That’s why this government is spending more money on childcare than ever before, helping parents to balance their home and working lives whilst ensuring more children get the best possible start in life.