Mums in Wiltshire cutting work hours to tackle childcare bills
Parents are being supported by charity Save The Children
Last updated 10th Mar 2023
Parents are being forced to cut working hours as rising childcare costs would leave them worse off, according to research from charity Save The Children UK.
The findings also say that 16% of mothers would move into employment, if bills were more affordable for children primary school age or younger.
Greatest Hits Radio spoke to Tasha, a mum of four from Wiltshire, who said that increasing her 16-hours a week work schedule could leave her with as little as £10 a month.
Tasha told us that she had to stop work in 2017, only returning earlier this year:
“In 2017, I gave up the job that loved. I went to Uni to get a degree in nutrition, to make sure I could support my family. But I had to give that all up because I couldn’t afford the cost of childcare.”
In the survey, 73% of parents had already seen, or were anticipating, an increase in childcare fees.
Tasha admitted that it was a “concern” to her that her own, and others, children were at risk of missing out on vital early development in nursery settings, but she praised the support Save The Children had provided:
“Save have been amazing supporting us all on the campaign to get the government to change the way they are thinking”.
Save the Children is calling on the British government to stop families on Universal Credit having to pay their childcare bills upfront and wait a month to be reimbursed.