56,000 early education and childcare places lost since 2019, research shows
by Jess Gibson
The number of early education and childcare places in England fell by 56,000 between 2019 and August 2023, representing a 4.3% fall in places, new research by the House of Commons Library shows.
The research, commissioned by the Liberal Democrats, also reveals that, in some areas of the country, as many as one in four early years places were lost during this period, including: a 23.2 drop in Sunderland; a 19.9% fall in Telford and Wrekin; and an 18.9% decrease in Darlington. In total, four in five areas in England have seen a fall in the number of early education places available since 2019.
According to the research, the number of early years providers has also dropped by a fifth since 2019, from 61,162 to 48,143 over the same period. The south-east saw the largest decline in the number of providers of any region, with 2,332 lost since 2019.
The findings have led to concerns about the deliverability of the early entitlement expansion 鈥 which government figures have indicated will require an additional 70,000 places by the end of the rollout 鈥 and caused Liberal Democrat education spokesperson Munira Wilson to brand some areas of the country 鈥渃hildcare deserts鈥.
The research follows the opening of applications for the second phase of the government鈥檚 early entitlement expansion, which is for eligible parents of children aged between 9 and 23 months old by 31 August.
Liberal Democrat Education spokesperson Munira Wilson MP said: 鈥淭his Conservative government has created childcare deserts through their years of neglect. This stark postcode lottery means that parents in many areas of the country are left completely without options.
鈥淔ree hours are no good if parents can鈥檛 find a good nursery or childminder for their child 鈥 and thanks to this Conservative government's underfunding millions of parents now face the almost impossible task of finding childcare.
鈥淭here are fewer providers, less choice for parents and no guarantee they will find a place for their child at all.
鈥淭he government urgently needs to review the rates it pays providers to ensure they cover the actual costs of delivering high-quality childcare and early years education.鈥