Scottish mums call new childcare funding rules 'birthday lottery'

Chloe Conroy and Jillian Tawse are campaigning to overturn a recently introduced change to the council's childcare funding requirements which has left parents having to "fork out" extra fees.

Chloe has two children, one of which has just turned three years old. Under the previous rules Archie was entitled to funded hours two weeks after his birthday.

However, after West Dunbartonshire Council altered the criteria for funding, Archie won't get any funded hours till January, due to the new rules declaring that grants will be given the term after their third birthday.

Chloe has claimed the new system creates a "lottery" for parents.

She said: "The change that the council have implemented as part of their April budget significantly changed the goalposts for me.

"I had made planning assumptions for my family based on getting funded hours from October.

"Now it is going to be January, that’s an extra three months of childcare I am having to fork out. It’s very significant."

(left to right) Jillian Taswe and Chloe Conroy.(Image: Colin Mearns)

Annoyed with the new system, Chloe set up a Change.org petition online in response which has gained more than 500 signatures since it's creation.

Her aim is to force the authority to U-turn their decision and reinstate the previous funding rules.

In May this year, Renfrewshire Council caved to public demand after they implemented the same changes as West Dunbartonshire Council has.

A Paisley mum set up a similar online petition which gathered 6000 signatures, following this a Free At Three campaign was voted upon and subsequently approved by councillors.

Chloe and Jillian hope they can do the same.

She said: "I go to some groups for the kids and some people hadn’t realised that this had happened.

"It’s now when you started looking into it you see, some parents don’t have their children in childcare because they don’t need to but for other they are not in that position.

"Unless you have grandparents or family support, you are gubbed.

"I was speaking to another parent and her daughter was born in July, so she is entitled to funding two weeks after her birthday where as I have to wait almost six months, how is that fair.

"Examples like that prove how it is creating unequal access for families in the area."

(Image: Colin Mearns)

After Jillian reached out to Chloe through her petition the pair have been regularly campaigning to have an audience with the council.

At September's Educational Committee, Chloe was given the opportunity to address councillors with her concerns.

However, she say the response she received was a "just an explanation of the current policy."

At the meeting, Council Leader Martin Rooney said: "At present 23 local authorities out of 32, including West Dunbartonshire Council, offer entitlement for 3-year-olds from the term after and 1 other local authority will move to implement in this way from August 2026.

"Additionally West Dunbartonshire Council offers families, who wish it for their child, the entitlement to access a deferred year from the start of the August school term and include the school in-service days prior to children returning within this option.

"We recognise that this change may have caused some disruption, however, it aligns West Dunbartonshire provision with the majority of other councils, the Scottish Government funding model, and it allows us to protect other vital council services."

A West Dunbartonshire Council spokesperson said: "With a budget shortfall of £7.7m for 2025/26 and similar challenges forecast for future years, the Council has had to make savings to try to protect frontline services as far as possible.

"This decision, which replicates the offer in the majority of other local authority areas in Scotland, brings the Council in line with Scottish Government statutory guidance. 

"Families with younger children continue to have the option to defer school start and access an additional year of Early Learning and Childcare. In addition, children will be able to access their childcare during the first two in-service days at the start of the August term."