Purpose

To seek authority to award contracts to eligible providers for the delivery of funded childcare places, and summarise the process undertaken to establish the funding arrangements and assess provider eligibility, before recommending the award of agreements to those providers who meet the required criteria.

Decision

That the Corporate Director Children, Young People and Community Development:

i)               Approves the award of contracts for the provision of funded early years childcare services to eligible early years providers, including nurseries and childminders (comprising 255 providers), as listed in the Exempt Appendix, for the period 2026-27 and 2027-28, in accordance with central government funding allocations and requirements, with the aggregate value reflecting the allocation of DSG funding to qualifying providers, noting that no individual provider will receive funding in excess of £2million.

ii)              Delegates authority to Serita Kwofie, Head of Early Help, to finalise and sign agreements with providers.

Reasons for the decision

As detailed within the accompanying report.

Alternative options considered

As detailed in the accompanying report.