Derbyshire childcare providers are shutting down due to the lasting effects of Covid-19, a report has revealed.

Derbyshire County Council’s annual Childcare Sufficiency Assessment showed between September 2021 and August 2022 there were 81 closures across the county offset by 29 new facilities opening, resulting in 52 fewer childcare providers than the previous academic year.

Speaking in a cabinet meeting last Thursday (12 January), education member Councillor Alex Dale commented: “The key messages are effectively that it’s still very early to assess the impact Covid and cost of living crisis is having on childcare sufficiency, but we are beginning to see an increase in childcare settings closing, probably due to the impact of cost of living crisis.”

He said the authority needed to monitor the situation and ascertain whether demand from parents had changed and if it was a result of the pandemic.

“There will be investigations over the next year to establish whether these impacts are short term or long term,” he concluded.

The report outlined that there had been particular movement within the childminding sector, with the greatest number of openings and closures.

Leader Councillor Barry Lewis commented that childcare was very important for people, adding that this was the ‘cherry on the top of the icing’ in terms of the struggles residents were currently facing.

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