London councils named and shamed for 'failing parents' on free child care

 
Tower Hamlets has the worst rate of parents taking up free child care. Eric Pickles put put the borough under strict monitoring last year
Joseph Watts18 February 2015

Ministers outed “underperforming” councils today, revealing that more than 22,000 London youngsters are missing out on free childcare places.

New figures show nine of England’s 10 worst-performing councils for implementing free childcare are in the capital. Scandal-hit Tower Hamlets had the lowest rate of parents taking advantage of free childcare, despite poverty being rife in the borough.

The Government said it would not “shy away” from naming and shaming councils it claims are failing parents.

But some of the authorities today claimed rates were rising, and one argued the Government was not providing enough money to cover costs.

The Department for Education handed London councils £175 million to deliver 15 hours a week of free childcare for two-year-olds from less well-off backgrounds.

But today’s figures show half of the capital’s 45,000 eligible children are not getting hours they are entitled to.

Last year Communities Secretary Eric Pickles put Tower Hamlets under strict monitoring, accusing mayor Lutfur Rahman of presiding over an administration “at best dysfunctional, at worst riddled with cronyism and corruption”.

Meanwhile a report last year found one in every two children growing up in the borough were living in poverty.

But the new figures show two-thirds of eligible children there, some 1,625, are still missing out on free childcare.

A borough spokeswoman said it has “an excellent record of education and care” and a promotional campaign was planned to increase the take-up of childcare.

The next worst-performing borough was Hackney where 41 per cent or 1,407 children were missing out. Other boroughs with the lowest take-up were Lewisham, Hammersmith and Fulham, Newham, Croydon, Barnet, Westminster and Camden — which said the Government support was £3 less than hourly rates for childminders.

Childcare Minister Sam Gyimah said he would work with London councils to ensure children benefit and added that he “will not shy away from naming those who are underperforming.”

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