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Nurseries in England charging extra fees to cover funding gap, campaigners say

Key Points

Campaigners have reported that nurseries in England are charging parents extra fees to compensate for government underfunding of free childcare hours. These additional charges, which can amount to thousands of pounds annually, cover consumables like food and nappies. The education secretary has asked the competition watchdog to investigate these hidden extra charges.

Head of Early Years Alliance says additional charges paid by parents represent ‘cross-subsidy’

Parents of nursery children in England are being charged extra fees to cover for government underfunding of free childcare hours, with some paying thousands of pounds a year for consumables such as food, wipes and nappies, campaigners have said.

The comments came as the education secretary, Bridget Phillipson, asked the competition watchdog to investigate hidden extra charges that parents have encountered when trying to access government-funded childcare.

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Originally published by The Guardian UK Read original →