Harrogate Lib Dem says childcare in North Yorkshire has been 'driven to the brink' by years of Government underfunding

Tom Gordon’s comments come in the week that the Government opened applications for parents to register for 15 hours of free childcare from September for children from nine months old

But Mr Gordon, Liberal Democrat spokesperson for Harrogate and Knaresborough, said a fall in providers was putting the deliverability of the new Government scheme in serious doubt and leaving parents “without options.”

“Free hours are no good if parents can’t find a nursery or childminder for their child,” claimed Mr Gordon.

"Thanks to the Government's underfunding, many parents in our county now face a near impossible task of finding childcare.”

New House of Commons Library research commissioned by national Liberal Democrats reveals a 1,103 fall in the number of childcare places across North Yorkshire since 2019.

Total places fell from 14,450 to 13,347, a 7.6% decrease.

The Lib Dems are calling on the Government to review the rates paid to providers for free hours to ensure they cover the actual costs of delivering childcare.Mr Gordon said: “Childcare in North Yorkshire has

been driven to the brink by years of neglect by the Conservatives.

“The Government urgently needs to review the rates it pays providers to ensure they cover the actual costs of delivering high-quality childcare and early years education.”

Last month the National Audit Office criticised the Government’s roll out, saying the scheme had been launched without any regard to the child care sector's financial ability to cope.

The new research shows the number of childcare providers in North Yorkshire has seen a decline, with 146 fewer than in 2019, a 22.8% fall.

But this does not necessarily mean a rise in the closure of existing childcare facilities.

The House of Commons Library data reflects net changes in the number of registered providers.

For example, a nursery in a given area may have closed but another provider opened a nursery in the same year, childminders may have left the register, but others join to offset changes etc.