30 hours free childcare announced for all children under 5 - but parents will have to wait

manchestereveningnews.co.uk:

Chancellor of the Exchequer Jeremy Hunt has announced 30 hours of free childcare for all under-5s as he laid out a package of changes to reform employment during the Spring statement.

Mr Hunt said the move would come into place from the moment maternity care ends. Households must be eligible, with all adults working at least 16 hours.

Jeremy Hunt told the House of Commons on Wednesday (March 15): “I today announce that in eligible households where all adults are working at least 16 hours, we will introduce 30 hours of free childcare not just for three- and four-year-olds, but for every single child over the age of nine months. READ MORE: Will extra childcare help you work more? “The 30 hours offer will now start from the moment maternity or paternity leave ends.

It’s a package worth on average £6,500 every year for a family with a two-year-old child using 35 hours of childcare every week and reduces their childcare costs by nearly 60%.