Local authorities will receive additional annual revenue funding of £567 million in 2021-22 to support the expansion in entitlement to 1,140 hours of free childcare per year from August 2020, almost double current provision and triple that inherited by the SNP on coming to office in 2007.
This sum is based on local authority finance estimates submitted in March 2018, uprated for inflation as agreed between Scottish Ministers and local authority Leaders.
Local authorities will also receive total capital funding of £476 million to support the expansion of premises required by the expansion of free early learning and childcare This funding will be provided over four financial years from 2017-18 to 2020-21 inclusive.
Kenneth Gibson MSP commented:
“All experts agree that providing fully funded free childcare is essential to giving our children the best start in life and to enable more women with young children who are keen to work to do so. This progressive SNP policy is therefore beneficial to both families and the economy. Indeed, at least 12,000 more jobs will be created across Scotland in the early learning and childcare sector itself.
“To fund this policy, I am delighted that the SNP Government has allocated to North Ayrshire Council an additional £14,549,000 in revenue, to pay the salaries of additional early learning and childcare staff and £11,440,000 in capital to ensure we have the facilities available for the full roll-out of this policy across Scotland in August 2020.”
ENDS
