‘Tory childcare plan will fall to pieces’, says Labour as figures show only space for 1 in 5 Mansfield children

The analysis from the House of Commons library found that the number of places had fallen by 23% in the last year, and had fallen by 28% overall since 2018, while early years experts warned that a lack of staff would hobble the plans to expand funded childcare to families.

New figures from Ofsted, responsible for registering and inspecting nursery provision, shows 3,320 of the 62,300 nurseries and childminders for under-fives in England have shut their doors in the past year alone, leaving 17,800 fewer childcare places available.

The number of services has fallen drastically from 84,970 in 2015 – 2016 to 63,207 in 2022 – 2023.

Labour said that nurseries are going to the wall across the country due to the Tories’ economic mismanagement and the difficulties in retaining childcare staff, forcing more then 240 services to close this year in the East Midlands region.

The news comes as new polling shows that voters do not believe that the Conservatives will fulfil Jeremy Hunt’s pledges to fix the early years sector and reduce childcare costs for parents.

The survey released by the early education and childcare coalition (EECC) found that only seven per cent of voters said they trusted the Conservatives the most to bring childcare costs down, while 35 per cent trusted Labour the most.

To deliver the childcare parents need at the quality children deserve, Labour has announced that Sir David Bell, former chief inspector of schools and permanent secretary at the department for education, will undertake a review of the early years sector, making recommendations inform reforms to create a modern childcare system that embeds quality and availability throughout early years education and care.

Bridget Phillipson MP, Labour’s shadow education secretary, said: “Families in Mansfield are already struggling to find the childcare they need will see the Conservatives’ announcement for what it was – a short-term attempt to grab headlines.

“Labour will deliver the credible plan parents and children need.

“That’s why we have commissioned Sir David Bell, to deliver an early years review that considers how to deliver new places, and a motivated, well-trained workforce creating the available care parents need and driving high and rising standards for every child.”

Steve Yemm, Labour’s parliamentary candidate for Mansfield, said: “It’s nothing short of disgraceful that hard-working Mansfield families cannot get the childcare support that they need due to the Conservative’s mismanagement of the economy.

“These figures are amongst the worst in the country.

“For families in Mansfield – including my own family – this means that working parents find it much more challenging to participate in the labour market and make a living at a time of soaring costs of living and the most sustained fall in living standards ever recorded.

“For Mansfield parents it’s a triple whammy – limited access to affordable high quality childcare, falling living standards and spiralling costs.

“Only a Labour government will deliver the credible plans that Mansfield parents need.”

Coun Ben Bradley MP has been approached for a comment.