Conservatives manifesto: Party pledges £1bn for childcare

In the party’s manifesto, launched yesterday, it says that ‘Raising a family should be the most fulfilling experience of your life. But for too many parents, the cost of childcare is a heavy burden’, which is why it will put more money into creating more childcare places.

Under the Flexible Childcare Services fund, there would be £250m for 2021-22, £255m for 2022-23, and £260m for 2023-24.

The manifesto does not clarify who would be eligible for the extra childcare places or whether it would be distributed to local authorities or providers.

Contrary to previous press reports, there is no commitment to expand ‘free’ childcare to all two-year-olds. It also does not mention increasing funding to meet the actual delivery costs of the free entitlement.

The manifesto does include however plans to review and reduce business rates, as revealed by Boris Johnson last week. The manifesto states that the Conservatives would ‘cut the burden of tax on businesses by reducing business rates’, starting with a ‘fundamental review of the system’.

Other promises include:

• Looking at ways to improve the working of the Apprenticeship Levy
• Raising teachers’ starting salaries to £30k
• Deliver more school places for children with complex special educational needs
• Build more free schools
• Raising the National Insurance threshold to £9,500 next year
• Do more to make sure that universal credit works for the most vulnerable
• End the benefits freeze

Sector response

The Early Years Alliance expressed its disappointment over the Conservatives’ election promises.

Chief executive Neil Leitch said, ‘Promises of business as usual like this will mean little to those providers struggling to make "free childcare" work.

‘Even as we have seen soaring costs in wages, pension contributions and business rates, early years funding levels have remained stuck at what they were when they were set in 2015. That underfunding has plunged the sector into crisis, creating a huge and growing shortfall of two thirds of a billion pounds and forcing thousands of providers to close. 

‘Perhaps it was too much to expect a serious conversation about the future of the sector during this election – but that is what is urgently needed. Instead, we’ve had offers of more “free” hours from the other political parties and this loose change from the Conservatives. Providers can’t go on like this: we need funding rates that cover the true cost of delivering childcare and a firm commitment for levels to be reviewed annually.’

The National Day Nurseries Association (NDNA) accused the Conservative party of 'ignoring the fact that children’s educational journey starts in their early years.'

Chief executive Purnima Tanuku said, 'We all know that a child’s early years are a crucial stage of their development affecting their outcomes throughout their life but the Conservative party manifesto fails to address this vital part of children’s education. We need everyone to be working to get it right for early years so it is very concerning that the manifesto ignores the current funding and workforce crisis completely.

'We need to see more investment in early years to resolve the financial crisis providers are facing. However, what we have seen is that the focus of spending is largely centred around schools, ignoring the fact that children’s educational journey starts in their early years.

'Private, voluntary and independent nurseries already deliver high-quality wraparound and holiday childcare supporting working families, but this is neither acknowledged nor recognised. Any new provision created in schools will threaten existing established provision. PVI nurseries are already struggling and this could be the last straw.

'We would call for more partnership working between schools and local providers who already offer this care to schoolchildren to boost places and ensure parents can access affordable, high-quality childcare when they need it most.'

According to the National Education Union (NEU), the Conservatives’ manifesto reveals £340m of further cuts to school budgets in 2023/24.

Joint general secretary Dr Mary Bousted said, ‘This election is about much more than Brexit. It is about the kind of society we want and what is best for children and young people.

‘In addition to the 83 per cent of schools which will still have lower per-pupil funding in 2020 than they did in 2015 in real terms.’

She added, ‘The Conservatives are intent on continuing the discredited academies and free schools programme. No matter how often they argue otherwise, it is clear from report after report that academies and free schools are no more successful in raising standards than local authority schools. This demonstrates an irresponsibility with taxpayers' money, all for the sake of propping up a scheme which has failed in its original objectives and has become captive to private profit. It raises serious questions about whose interests the programme is actually in.’

• Find out about the other political parties' manifesto promises here