One of the things raised most often with me, both by local parents and by childcare providers, has been the urgent need to reform the childcare system. The current model has often been described as a hindrance to helping parents get back into and continue in work, as well as difficult to deliver effectively by the many excellent local businesses and charities who do so.
I was pleased to see the Chancellor recognise these issues
earlier this year, with his Spring Budget Statement containing measures in this
area which I have long campaigned for. These included reforms to childcare, in
terms of additional government funded childcare for children under five, as
well as increased hourly rates for nursery providers which will make it so much
easier for parents to work, and also support the providers of this essential
service.
Last week, I was pleased to see Cornwall given a key early
role in the Government’s plans to deliver another priority announced in the
Budget, its ambition for all parents of primary school aged children to access
childcare in their local area between 8am and 6pm.
Cornwall Council is one of 16 local authorities from across
England that has been selected to work with the government to develop plans for
this universal provision, with some of these areas expected to be the first to
rollout the wraparound care as early as summer 2024, with the provision
expected to roll out to the rest of the country later in the year.
This is great news for Cornwall and I look forward to seeing
Cornwall Council working with primary schools across our Duchy to deliver this
provision early for the families and children that need it.
On top of this, the Government also confirmed last week that
nurseries are set to receive a £204 million cash boost as part of the
Government’s promise to deliver the largest ever investment in childcare.
Every area across the country is getting a share of the
government funding which childcare providers can use to ease cost pressures
such as staffing costs, training and other running costs.
The increase in funding will support the early years sector
to deliver the biggest investment in childcare ever, and I am sure will have
been welcomed by the early years settings across Mid Cornwall that I have met
with about the changes that were needed in the past.
From April 2024, eligible working parents of two-year-olds
will get a new offer of 15 government funded hours per week. From September
2024, eligible parents will get 15 government funded hours from nine months
until their children start school, and from September 2025, they will get 30 government
funded hours from nine months until the start of school.
Altogether, these reforms to childcare, along with
additional changes to how childcare is taken into account for people in receipt
of Universal Credit, and additional changes to the operation of childcare
settings, will help with overall operation of the childcare system, removing
significant barriers to support parents to return to work and help to grow the
economy by making childcare more accessible to all.
Aside from this, I also wanted to touch upon the changes to
ticket office provision proposed at various stations, including St Austell, by
GWR last week. GWR have announced that as part of a national exercise, they are
looking at potentially closing a number of ticket offices at railway stations
around their rail network.
Under these proposals the ticket office staff at St Austell
Station would be redeployed to different roles at the station, and the ticket
office closed, within a year. GWR say that their plan is to redeploy ticket
office staff to be more visible and accessible in the wider station and on
platforms, to provide help, advice and information to all passengers.
GWR say this is because on average less than 15% of tickets
are purchased from ticket offices at their stations. However their own figures
show that in St Austell the numbers of people buying tickets from the ticket
offices are more than double that.
GWR are consulting on their proposals for the next two
weeks.
I am running my own survey on this issue, so you can let me
know how often you use the ticket office at St Austell Station and what you
think about these proposals, so I can feedback to GWR as the Member of
Parliament on behalf of local people.
You can fill out my survey on the proposed changes at St
Austell Station via the link on my website below:
https://www.stevedouble.org.uk/st-austell-station-survey
If I can be of assistance or help on any matter, please get
in touch with my office on 01726 829379 or email office@stevedouble.org.uk
