Plaid promises universal childcare if it wins Senedd election

Plaid Cymru will offer universal childcare for all families of children from nine months to four years old if it wins the Welsh election, its leader has said.

Rhun ap Iorwerth made the pledge as he told conference delegates he was ready to lead the country, replacing Labour as the party of government.

Labour has led Wales since the start of devolution in 1999, and has dominated Welsh politics for a century. The next Senedd election takes place in May.

He said the “transformative” policy, offering at least 20 hours for 48 weeks a year by 2031, would be a “helping hand with the things that matter the most”.

He told the conference that “Labour’s time is up” and that Reform wanted to treat the Senedd as a “plaything” to gain an “electoral foothold”.

Currently help with childcare costs is only available to families whose parents are in work, education or training, or to very young children who live in a flying start area.

The party says the policy would be worth £32,500 to families for the first four years of their child’s life.

Families whose parents are in work, training or education would still get 30 hours a week for three to four year olds.

Plaid’s plan would allow ineligible families to claim 20 hours a week for three to four year olds for 48 weeks of the year, and all families 20 hours for nine-month olds to two years.

The party say that by the end of the five year roll out it will spend roughly an extra £500m a year on childcare – bringing the total cost to £800m.

It says it can find the cash from the Welsh government’s budget, with about £400m thought to be available in the next budget if other services increase by inflation.

The Welsh government has been under pressure to match the provision in England, where children between nine months and two receive free child care.

The Bevan Foundation said earlier this year that high childcare costs were pushing more families into poverty and out of work.

Currently parents in Wales can apply for up to 30 hours of combined government funded nursery education and childcare a week – parents need to be in work, on maternity, paternity or other statutory leave, or in education or training.

That is only available to three and four year olds, and only if parents receive less than £100,000 a year combined.

Some eligible two-year-olds qualify for 12.5 hours of care a week under Flying Start, but it is not available nationally.

Plaid’s plan would be in three stages. It is proposing to keep the existing 30 hour offer for three to four year olds, while extending the roll out of 12.5 hours a week for two year olds.

The next step would be to give 20 hours to parents who are not currently eligible – such as those not in work or training, or those earning more than £100,000 a year.

The party would then seek to increase the number of hours offered to children under the age of two year on year.

It would be rolled out over the life of the next Welsh Parliament, with the policy fully implemented in the 2030/31 financial year, under the plans.

Party sources, asked why parents whose incomes are above £100,000 should get free childcare, said services that are delivered universally are better, and that households across demographics are struggling.

Plaid says it would be the most generous childcare care offer in the UK.

Rhun ap Iorwerth told BBC Wales: “This can make a huge difference. It’s a very, very important step in terms of helping families with the cost of living.

“This is universal, which marks it out from the system in England.”

Ap Iorwerth said it was “money that we know we can afford”.