Hundreds of working parents are benefitting from 15 hours of free childcare as part of a programme to deliver a government scheme of 30 hours of childcare.

Hertfordshire County Council was chosen along with seven other councils to trial the programme, which went live in September 2016, and has so far helped more than 460 parents in the county.

The offer could save working parents around £5,000 per year.

Councillor Richard Roberts, responsible for children’s services, said: “Helping families get off to the best start in life really matters to us at Hertfordshire County Council, so being able to be part of this important scheme has been great.

“It’s also been a good opportunity to build upon the fantastic partnership working which already exists between our maintained nursery schools and our other early years providers.”

Caroline Dineage, Minister for Women, Equalities and Early Years, said: “This offer is easing the financial burden on parents who might otherwise struggle with the cost of childcare, as well as providing reassurance that their children are being well cared for while they work. This is backed by our record investment of £6 billion per year by 2020 to support nurseries, pre-schools and childminders in providing high-quality early years education.”

These ‘Early Implementers’ are each focusing on delivering this childcare offer in different ways to meet the differing needs of British families, such as access for children with Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND), providing the offer in rural areas, and making sure the offer is available at different times for families with different shift patterns.

The programme is on track to support its target of 5,000 working parents, one year ahead of the government’s national roll-out.