Labour: Holiday childcare costs rise four times faster than wages
2 min read
The average cost of holiday childcare has risen four times faster than wages, new figures from Labour have revealed.
In the last seven years, the cost of childcare has risen more than 50% whereas weekly wages have risen just 13%, Opposition analysis showed.
The Shadow Education Secretary is set to accuse the Tories of “failing working parents” because of the “skyrocketing” prices.
The price hikes have been most marked in the north east of England, where parents are forced to fork out £132.98 in 2017 compared to £63.05 in 2010.
Wales has also suffered one of the biggest rises from £58.89 in 2010 to £117.62 this year.
Angela Rayner will say later today while visiting Crewe: “The Tories are quite simply failing working parents, who are seeing the cost of their childcare skyrocket, their wages fall, and their Government failing to give them the support they need.
“Childcare costs have shot up since the Conservatives took office in 2010, and both wages and Government support have failed to keep pace with either the cost of childcare or the needs of families.”
The Conservatives responded by pointing out that Labour presides over the childcare system in Wales, which has seen some of the biggest proportional cost increases.
Children and Families Minister Robert Goodwill said: “This blunder from Labour shows their own failure on childcare – as families in Wales, where Labour are in charge of childcare, face twice the increase of costs as in England.
“Conservatives have taken action so that this summer parents benefit from 15 hours of free childcare, income tax cuts worth over £1,000 since 2010 and a pay rise worth £1,400 a year to a full time worker through the National Living Wage.
“But we want working parents to have more help with the costs of childcare so from September we are doubling that offer to 30 hours for working parents – worth up to £5,000 per child – with that increased entitlement successfully rolled out in several areas across the country.
“Labour cannot be trusted to deliver anything and their damaging economic policies would leave families worse off.”
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