Sure Start centres to provide more childcare places under Labour plans

Unveiling plans to create 50,000 new childcare places through children's centres, Hunt said he would bring back a requirement on councils to provide childcare at the centres, something that was removed by the coalition government.

The Labour Party hopes private and charity sector providers will come forward to deliver this extra childcare provision as he cited recent figures from 4Children that estimate around 1,100 children’s centres have space to provide more childcare.

Hunt said: “It is a scandal that these brilliant community assets are being mothballed or even closed at a time when parents are crying out for decent childcare in their communities.

“So we’re going to put the lights back on, get the kids back in and restore the founding purpose of Sure Start.

“Our plan to save Sure Start will place local authorities under a legal obligation to provide access to childcare at these centres – along with the power to do it by opening up the doors to local providers desperate for good premises like these.

Speaking on The Andrew Marr Show on BBC One he added that the move would be “zero cost” to taxpayers.

“We are opening up centres to local, charitable and private providers – they provide the resources and the staff.”

The pledge was welcomed by 4Children chief executive Anne Longfield. She said: “With over 3,000 children’s centres across the country, and a third telling us they have space to provide more childcare, there is a huge untapped resource which has the potential to both support parents with the challenges of childcare and give children the best start in life.”

But Pre-school Learning Alliance chief executive Neil Leitch questions whether such a proposed expansion of childcare within children’s centres is feasible without extra funding.  

He said: “It’s vital that all children, regardless of background, have access to high-quality childcare and so we broadly welcome plans to increase the availability of childcare places through Sure Start children’s centres. However, it would be short sighted to suggest that such an initiative would not require additional funding from government.

“Research has shown that the free entitlement offers for two-, three- and four-year-olds are already substantially underfunded. As such, this longstanding issue would need to be tackled before any requirement on children’s centres to deliver childcare could be imposed."

Leitch added children’s centres' role as an advice and support service for parents also needed to be properly funded.

The Labour Party has also pledged to improve access for older children in disadvantaged communities to “wraparound childcare” with schools offering more breakfast and after-school clubs.

Hunt said: “We have schools in the communities not being used in the morning or after school, let’s open them up to providers, charities and use public and private together.”

An announcement on Labour's plans for education spending is expected to be made later this week.

Data provided through section 251 returns by English local authorities showed the amount they intend to spend on children's centres in 2014/15 is set to fall by £56m.