SOMERSET County Council is encouraging working parents to apply for up to 30 hours of funded childcare for three and four-year-olds.

From September, the Government is doubling the amount of funded childcare hours from 15 to 30 hours a week, for 38 weeks each year.

The additional hours will support working parents who are struggling to pay childcare costs, or who may be looking to increase their working hours.

Cllr Frances Nicholson, cabinet member for children and families, said: “This is a great initiative and one that really benefits working parents, potentially saving families up to £5,000 per year.”

Parents can claim up to 30 hours of funded childcare per term-time week (38 weeks) for each of their three or four-year-olds. This can also be spread across the year to include school holidays, up to a maximum of 1,140 hours a year.

To qualify, both parents must be working and earning on average at least the equivalent of 16 hours at the National Minimum or Living Wage per week. And parents must earn less than £100,000 a year.

To apply for this new offer, parents need to go to www.childcarechoices.gov.uk

If eligible, parents will receive an 11 digit code to take directly to a participating childcare provider.

For more information and a list of all the participating childcare providers, visit Somerset County Council’s website at www.somerset.gov.uk/eye30