Chancellor Jeremy Hunt is expected to announce a massive expansion of free childcare in his Budget speech later today as part of the government's drive to get more people into work.
The Guardian and BBC report the plan would see 30 hours of free childcare made available to one and two-year-olds. At present, working parents with three and four-year-olds can get 30 hours of free childcare a week. The BBC also said the hourly rate paid to childcare providers would also rise and local authorities would be given funding to set up wraparound care in schools from September next year. The Treasury declined to comment ahead of the speech. The BBC childcare costs in the UK are "among the highest in the world" and the government has been under pressure to address the i...
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