The childcare sector has accused the government of underfunding and forcing nurseries to find extra cash Edmond Terakopian/PANurseries have warned the chancellor that his promise of 30 hours of free childcare is unachievable unless he is prepared to fund it properly. Philip Hammond said that working parents would be entitled to the extension of free hours from 15 to 30 for children aged three and four later this year. That, along with a new in-work voucher scheme, would save families up to £5,000 a year. However, the childcare sector has accused the government of underfunding the free hours and forcing nurseries to find extra cash, usually by increasing the fees for additional hours. “It’s incredibly disappointing that the chancellor’s brief reference to childcare in today’s budget included no mention of the critical issue of early-years funding,” said Neil Leitch, chief executive of…

Source: The Times March 09, 2017 00:02 UTC