New analysis from Hounslow Labour reveals that up to 4,433 children aged from 9 months to two years in Hounslow will be entitled to 30 hours free childcare from this month.
The extension to all qualifying children between 9 months and 2 years old fulfils a Labour manifesto commitment to cut the cost of childcare, helping more parents into work, and reducing the cost of living for young families.
30 hours of government-funded childcare will save working parents up to £7,500 a year – families can check their entitlements at childcarechoices.gov.uk. At the same time, Labour has put in place protections for parents to further bear down on the cost of childcare by preventing ‘top up fees’ and overcharging for nappies, lunch and other ‘consumables’.
The changes are part of Labour’s wider plans to give children in Hounslow the best start in life.
In their first year in government, Labour had to fix the foundations of our education system:
- Rebuilding crumbling buildings
- Turning the tide on teacher recruitment and retention with 2,300 more teachers in classrooms, 1,000 more in training
- Driving up attendance with 140,000 fewer children persistently absent and 3 million school days gained
We’ve made good on the promises made in our manifesto:
- 2 million meals served at our free breakfast clubs, with Cavendish and Marlborough primaries among the first to be rolled out.
- More mental health support in our schools
- Raising money for public services by ending private schools’ tax breaks
And crucially, the Government are lifting over 100,000 children out of poverty by expanding free school meals eligibility.
Responding to the analysis, Labour’s Cllr Samia Chaudhary said,
“Labour promised to take action to bring down the cost of childcare and that’s exactly what we are doing. From next month thousands more children in Hounslow will gain support worth up to £7,500 a year.
“Extending free childcare, providing greater access to free school meals, protecting parents from hidden costs at nurseries and capping school uniform costs, Labour is taking real, immediate action to tackle the cost of living, giving our children the best start in life.
“Change takes time. But this is a real, tangible step that will make life easier for thousands of parents across our borough.
“This Labour Council is also making a difference. We are one of relatively few councils who provide a school uniform grant, to help eligible parents cover back-to-school costs.
“Our Holiday Activity and Food program provides much needed support to children and parents over the school holidays.
“We’re finding ways to save parents money and give our children the best possible start in life.
“The local Conservatives recently showed their true colours by voting against supporting the extension of free school meals. If you want to see the difference between our two parties, you need look no further than that.”