Childcare desert: Bolton sees 688 childcare places lost since 2019

There has been a 688 fall in the number of childcare places in Bolton since 2019, research commissioned by the Liberal Democrats has revealed.

It comes as applications opened last week for parents to register for 15 hours of free childcare from September for children from 9 months old.

The Liberal Democrats said the fall in providers was putting the deliverability of the government’s plans into doubt and leaving parents in “without options.” The party is calling on the Government to review the rates paid to providers for free hours to ensure they cover the actual costs of delivering high-quality childcare. 

In Bolton, 688 childcare places have been lost since 2019, falling from 7,256 to 6,568. It equates to an almost 10% fall in the number of places. The number of childcare providers has also seen a decline, with their now being 46 fewer than in 2019, an 18% fall. The research comes from the House of Commons Library.

Nationally, the number of childcare providers, including nurseries and childminders, has dropped by a fifth since 2019, from 61,162 to 48,143. Every area in the country but one has seen a fall in the number of childcare providers since 2019, leaving parents with less choice as to where they can get childcare.

Last month the National Audit Office criticised the Government’s roll out saying that dates for the scheme were decided without the DfE or the Treasury understanding whether the sector would be able to provide the number of places needed. It recommended the DfE continuously review the expansion in case it needs to relook at the timeline due to concerns about place numbers and staffing.

Deirdre McGeown, who was recently elected to represent Westhoughton North and Hunger Hill, on Bolton Council said:

“Childcare in Bolton has been driven to the brink by years of neglect from this Conservative Government. Local parents have been left completely without options.

“Free hours are no good if parents can’t find a nursery or childminder for their child – and thanks to this Conservative government's underfunding, many parents in Bolton now face a near impossible task of finding childcare.  

“The 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.”