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Local authorities will be legally required to provide sufficient childcare for parents under plans announced by the government today, writes Amy Taylor.

The announcement takes forward the government’s commitment to legislate to ensure adequate childcare is available in the ten-year child care strategy published last December.

The new duty on councils will be contained in a childcare bill in this parliamentary session. The bill will also reform the childcare and early years regulation framework to reduce bureaucracy.

Children’s minister Beverly Hughes also launched a child care consultation which takes forward other commitments made in the strategy.

The new childcare legislation is expected to be in place by 2008.

The consultation document is available from: www.dfes.gov.uk/consultations and closes in early October.