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Free Childcare Offer

by Owen Donovan

September 3, 2026

in Education & Childcare, Issues

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Free Childcare Offer

Is this devolved to Wales?

Where is this happening?

What's happening?

Why is this happening?

Who has been affected?

What's happening?

Why is this happening?

Who has been affected?

Charts (if needed)

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Souce text, source text, source text.

£ 375 - 500 million per year in additional spending

375 million is the Welsh Government's mid-range estimate
500 million is the Welsh Government's upper estimate

Who has raised this at the Senedd?

Rhun ap Iorwerth MS

First Minister

Sioned Williams MS

Social Justice Minister

Zaynub Akbar MS

Chair: Equality & Social Justice

Elyn Stephens MS

Backbencher

Kiera Marshall MS

Backbencher

Niamh Salkeld MS

Backbencher

Sarah Rees MS

Backbencher

Sarah Cooper-Lesadd MS

Backbencher

Dan Thomas MS

Backbencher

Cai Parry-Jones MS

Shadow Finance Minister

Catherine Cullen MS

Backbencher

Llŷr Powell MS

Reform UK Whip

Helen Jenner MS

Leader of the Opposition

Cristiana Emsley MS

Shadow Communities Minister

Ken Skates MS

Labour Group Leader

Lynne Neagle MS

Labour Whip

Huw Thomas MS

Backbencher

Janet Finch-Saunders MS

Backbencher

Sam Rowlands MS

Chair: Finance

Jane Dodds MS

Backbencher

Rhun ap Iorwerth MS

First Minister

Sioned Williams MS

Social Justice Minister

Zaynub Akbar MS

Chair: Equality & Social Justice

Elyn Stephens MS

Backbencher

Kiera Marshall MS

Backbencher

Niamh Salkeld MS

Backbencher

Sarah Rees MS

Backbencher

Sarah Cooper-Lesadd MS

Backbencher

Dan Thomas MS

Backbencher

Cai Parry-Jones MS

Shadow Finance Minister

Catherine Cullen MS

Backbencher

Llŷr Powell MS

Reform UK Whip

Helen Jenner MS

Leader of the Opposition

Cristiana Emsley MS

Shadow Communities Minister

Ken Skates MS

Labour Group Leader

Lynne Neagle MS

Labour Whip

Huw Thomas MS

Backbencher

Janet Finch-Saunders MS

Backbencher

Sam Rowlands MS

Chair: Finance

Jane Dodds MS

Backbencher

What are the party positions on this?

Naturally, as a Plaid Cymru policy this enjoys the support of the party’s backbenchers. They have hit back at criticism over costs and reject alternatives – particularly Reform UK’s preference for tax breaks to cover childcare costs.

Parents should not be forced to choose between work and affordable childcare, and every child deserves the best possible start in life. This challenge is particularly acute right now across Cardiff, where 41.6 per cent of children are living in income deprivation, higher than the Wales average of 38.7 per cent, highlighting the scale of need in our communities. I welcome this Government's commitment to expanding childcare provision and tackling child poverty once and for all.

In Cardiff, childcare can cost around £85 a day. That's what I've been quoted. That could be around £1,700 some months. No tax cut will solve that. At that price, it would make more sense for my partner to stop working. And unfortunately for the opposition, that sits directly at odds with the rhetoric we've heard from their (Reform UK's) own candidates about women nurturing and men providing. What we've heard today is not really a debate about affordability.

In 2024, I founded and chaired the childcare expert group. With Oxfam Cymru, I commissioned detailed research into the true cost of delivering high-quality childcare here in Wales. And that work has given me full confidence that Wales can deliver the transformational childcare offer that families have needed for far too long. Plaid Cymru believes in this ambitious approach, one rooted in evidence, fairness and the well-being of families.

We are now facing a chronic staffing emergency in the early years sector. The Deputy First Minister has commissioned a new steering group to find efficiencies in the system. You do not build the walls while the foundations are still crumbling. If this Government expands this programme before fixing what is broken underneath, they are simply scaling up a system that is bound to fail the very families that need it the most. We must secure the foundation now precisely so that this policy can succeed. Because there is a wider pattern here. Too often, we are offered, not a decision, but the promise of one: a steering group, a pilot, a strategy to come (statement made as a Reform UK MS).

Reform UK reject expansion of the current childcare offer, believing the Welsh Government haven’t properly costed the plans or taking into account the lack of skilled early years workers. They have expressed a preference for tax breaks to cover childcare costs instead.

....the issue with costings isn't just where you'll get the money from, but how much money you need. That £400 million figure has come from Plaid Cymru, with no real further details or breakdown of the cost. So, should we all just take Plaid Cymru's word for it? That's why Reform has been hard at work in the background, modelling our own estimate for the cost of this flagship policy. And after taking into consideration details such as childcare costs rising due to higher demand, as well as the pull this policy will have for young families across the UK, we predict it will cost well over £400 million.

While not opposing the idea of expansion in itself, Labour has pushed hard for details on timelines in written questions. They have also raised the possible unintended consequences – such as the impact on free childcare offered under Flying Start and fair pay.

....a particular concern of mine is the impact of this commitment on Flying Start provision. I've said repeatedly that Flying Start is so much more than just childcare. It's enhanced health visiting, it's speech and language therapy, and it's parenting support. And we know how critical those first 1,000 days are for our children. I have asked you before about what the ramifications of this commitment are for Flying Start. What I'm worried about is that we could see a reduction in the numbers of children who are receiving all four elements of Flying Start in order to fund this, and I would be grateful for a clear answer on that today.

Childcare workers do hugely important work, supporting children at the most important stage of their development, and, if we want to grow the workforce, we also need to ensure it's a profession where people feel valued and can build a career. A universal childcare pledge cannot be delivered on low pay and goodwill, I'm sure you'd agree. So, Minister, will your Government commit to ensuring that the childcare workforce is supported through training, progression and committing to fair work principles?

While the Conservatives haven’t outright rejected the idea of expanded childcare, they don’t believe the Welsh Government have properly costed the policy.

Many families rely not on a single model of childcare, but on a combination of formal provision and informal family support. A successful childcare system should recognise that diversity, strengthen it and give parents the flexibility to choose the arrangements that work best for them and their children. Because, ultimately, a strong childcare system is about trust: trust in families to make decisions about their own lives, and trust in Government to be honest about what funding its policies will require to deliver its policies. That is why a policy like this should be properly costed, properly planned and properly transparent from the outset.

The Greens haven’t said anything on this yet, but in their 2026 manifesto put forward childcare policies that were nearly identical to Plaid Cymru’s.

Test Test Test

Jane Dodds wants the expanded services to be carefully targeted at lower-earning parents if possible.

I warmly welcome your ambition on childcare. The contrast with Reform, who offered nothing on this issue, could not be clearer. Wales has the least generous childcare offer in the UK, despite having the lowest wages and highest child poverty in any UK nation. That's why a truly universal system, one that fills the gaps our current confused and fragmented offer leaves behind, is absolutely essential.

Who is responsible?

Sioned Williams MS

Social Justice Minister

What have ministers said?

In my view, and the view of the Government, and in the view of every expert on poverty and child development, the expansion of childcare is not merely a 'nice to have', but it's absolutely essential. Whether or not to expand funded childcare is not a question to discuss. The lack of affordable childcare is a societal problem to solve, and in solving it, we will deliver benefits that span across gender equality, early child development, tackling poverty, supporting our economy, and improving our children's health and educational outcomes.

The modelling undertaken so far suggests that, at today's prices, the core costs of the full expansion of our offer will require an additional £375 million a year. This is a mid-point estimate, and work is ongoing with our economists and analysts to test and model a range of variables, which includes the costs at each phase of expansion and potential take-up rates.

What's being done about this?

What do the Welsh Government want to do?

Does this need a new law or regulations?

How long will this take?

What do the Welsh Government want to do?

Does this need a new law or regulations?

How long will this take?

What have the Senedd's Committees said?

Nothing has been discussed yet.

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Relevant Votes

Date	Motion Number	Subject	Tabled As	Binding Vote?	Votes For	Abstentions	Votes Against	Absent/No Vote	Outcome
10/06/26	NDM9240	As amended	Motion as amended	No	61	1	29	2	AGREED
10/06/26	NDM9240	Amendment – Importance of childcare	Labour	No	88	3	0	2	AGREED
10/06/26	NDM9240	Amendment – Criticise Reform for no childcare policy	Plaid Cymru	No	50	0	41	2	AGREED
10/06/26	NDM9240	Timetable & costings for free childcare offer	Reform UK	No	39	0	52	2	REJECTED

Further Reading

BBC Wales (5th January 2020). “Childcare Offer for Wales: Parents ‘shocked’ by bills“
Senedd Research Service (1st June 2026). “Free childcare: why, who for and how?“
BBC Wales (8th April 2025). “Free childcare in Wales: What help is there for parents?“
Elliw Gwawr, BBC Wales (14th June 2026). “Plan to expand free childcare in Wales faces serious challenges, figures show“

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Copyright

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Senedd Home by Owen Donovan is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.

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