Over 3,000 2-4-year-olds in Rochdale will get 30 hours of free childcare a week under Labour says Tony Lloyd, Labour’s parliamentary candidate for Rochdale.
The expansion of free childcare to all under Labour will save families thousands of pounds a year, and will be accompanied by opening a Sure Start centre in every community to unlock the potential of all our children.
Since the Tories entered government, 1,000 Sure Start centres have been closed, and new analysis shows childcare costs have risen twice as fast as wages under the Tories. Local authorities such as Rochdale have reported that there are not enough childcare places for two year olds that are entitled to free childcare, for afterschool care or for disabled children.
Labour will plan to radically expand free childcare to 30 hours a week for all 2-4 year olds, and will save the average parent of a two-year-old over £5,000 a year if they are not currently eligible for childcare support
Tony Lloyd, Labour’s Rochdale candidate, said, “Early years education does matter, and it’s important that children have the right start in life. The cost of childcare is crippling for many families and puts young mothers in a position where they can’t afford not to go back to work. Labour will put an end to this.
“In times of Tory (and LibDem) induced austerity, Rochdale’s parents need the Sure Start centres provide.
“Placements are very popular but most of them are oversubscribed. Rochdale’s Sure Start centres have had to limit the amount of placements on offer.
“Labour will make high-quality early years education and access to Sure Start Plus a right for all families, in a country for the many, not the few”
“Labour’s going to deliver real change.”
