Should childcare costs be capped - vote in our poll to have your say

23 February 2024 , 10:42

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Childcare costs have soared by 80% since 2010 (Image: Getty Images/Tetra images RF)

The Tories have been accused of "failing" parents as childcare costs rocket by 80 percent in 14 years - and we want to know what YOU think.

This comes as a typical family is forced to spend more than £5,500 a year for part-time childcare during term-time, a staggering increase of £2,400 from when they took power in 2010. The Labour analysis revealed that households fork out around £146 a week on a part-time nursery place, which has risen from £82 in nearly 15-years.

It was announced in March last year that eligible families of children as young as nine months would be able to claim 30-hours of free childcare a week by 2025. As part of a staggered rollout of the policy, working parents of two-year-olds would be able to access 15-hours of funded childcare from April 2024.

From September 2024, working parents of children aged nine to 23-months would be handed 15-hours of free childcare. This would be extended to 30-hours of funded childcare per week for working parents of children under five from September 2025.

However, the plans have been slammed as nurseries, pre-schools and childminders grapple with staff shortages and a lack of availability, meaning parents are being placed on long waiting lists. Shadow Education Secretary Bridget Phillipson branded the proposal "shoddy", as she said: "Families are forking out thousands of pounds for childcare, all the while being sold a shoddy plan by a Conservative Government that hasn't the first clue of how to deliver it.

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"Families deserve so much better, which is why Labour has commissioned a full, expert-led early years review to examine how we expand access to the flexible childcare that meets families' needs without breaking their finances. The choice couldn't be starker. A clapped out Tory Government that has failed families for 14 years, or a Labour Party that is ready to reform childcare so it’s accessible for families right across the country."

Children’s Minister David Johnston said: "I'm very confident that across the country we will have the number of places we need this coming April for the first 15 hours for two-year-olds.

"That may not mean that every parent can have their first choice of nursery because every nursery has a limited capacity. And of course there may well be providers who say that for whatever reason they don't want to take children with the free hours that we're paying for. We can't compel them to do that."

According to Labour, childcare costs have risen a third faster than inflation. As parents struggle with sky-high expenses, do YOU think childcare costs should be capped? Vote in our poll HERE to have your say.

The Mirror will also be discussing the topic with you in the comments section below and you can join in! All you have to do is sign up, submit your comment, register your details and then you can take part.

Freya Hodgson