Parents and nursery workers to be consulted on need for low-cost childcare

Previously: Children joined their parents to fight for the nurseries. Photograph: Julia Gregory

Parents and nursery workers are to be asked about the provision of affordable childcare in Hackney.

The council has set up a commission into the need for low-cost childcare in the borough.

It comes as the government announced an extension to free childcare in a bid to get more people into work. Free childcare will be extended to 15 hours a week for eligible working parents of two-year-olds from April 2024 and all eligible under-fives will get 30 hours’ free childcare from September 2025.

The council’s commission will start work this month and is expected to gather evidence and produce a report in the next six to nine months.

It will be chaired by June O’Sullivan, the head of the London Early Years Foundation, a charitable body which runs 39 low-cost nurseries across London.

Cllr Caroline Woodley, the cabinet member for families, said: “We know that lack of access to affordable childcare can be a driver into poverty, that current subsidies do not cover the full costs of provision, that top-down proposals such as increasing staff-child ratios are not a serious solution – and if implemented could diminish quality of care. ”

She said the commission will “see the importance, knowledge and dedication of our early years educators recognised, ideas around access and sustainability openly and progressively debated, and the experience of children, parents and carers shared.”

Six Hackney parents will also join the commission and carers and other parents will be asked to contribute their views in focus groups.

The council said the commission aims “to explore opportunities and make recommendations for high quality, efficient and affordable childcare from all possible providers  – private, public and social enterprises. ”

Care leavers told Hackney’s children and young people’s scrutiny commission last year how important funded childcare was to them as they completed university studies.

The scrutiny commission is set to look at the support available for Hackney’s young parents.

In 2021, the council consulted over closing two of children’s centres for the under-fives, Fernbank and Hillside, but paused its plans after parents campaigned against the move.

They said there was already a shortage of affordable childcare in Hackney and some of them feared they would have to give up work because the cost was too high elsewhere.

The move was paused after 59 per cent of  the 879 people responding to a consultation disagreed with the proposed closures.

The council said four of its 18 other centres were within walking distance of Hillside and Fernbank. The proposal was part of planned changes to its early years service.

Town hall bosses said they have one of the highest spends per child at UK children’s centres.

In last month’s budget report, Mayor Philip Glanville said: “During 2023/24 we will revisit the children’s centre provision across the borough to ensure it delivers the best service possible which is financially sustainable.”