Cost of childcare to be debated in Parliament as petition tops 100k
Pregnant Then Screwed group, Grazia Magazine and The Juggle secure discussion into "catastrophic" cost of childcare in UK
More than 100,000 people have now signed a petition calling for an independent review into how childcare is funded in the UK.
The campaign, led by Grazia magazine, and parenting group Pregnant Then Screwed says reform is needed, as the UK has the second highest fees in the world, but some providers are still struggling to keep their businesses afloat.
The petition triggered a debate in Parliament by gathering 100,000 signatures on Monday night.
Mum of two from Leeds, Rebecca, said:
"The wage that I was on wasn't enough to cover childcare, even with the company subsidising it, I gave up my job and I stayed at home until my daughter was just over two, before getting a part time job, that just covered her nursery fees, paying £56.50 a day.
"Now, if I'm looking for work I have to factor in, what will be left over of my wage, after I pay for child care, is worth working a full week for and is it worth putting the kids in some kind of child care to basically come home with nothing."
Petitions secures more than 100k signatures
Campaigners say change is needed as families are now spending 35% of average UK income on childcare fees, and it has a particular impact of the way women return to work - many choosing fewer hours, lower pay, or being compelled to quit their career to avoid spiralling costs.
Some parents are forced to spend up to £14,000 to get their child into fulltime day-care, but the campaign says issues within the system leaves one in 10 providers living in poverty.
Other countries have lower childcare costs
Grazia writer Rhiannon Evans says "We're hearing about people getting into debt, we had someone in the magazine talking about borrowing money from friends, having to sell their house People aren't talking about asking for expensive holidays here, they're looking to go back to work and make contributions to the UK economy."
WATCH: Grazia writer Rhiannon Evans sets out what the petition hopes to achieve
The campaign uses Sweden and Germany as examples of countries where limits are placed on how much you pay for childcare, based on your income. This would mean there's a cap on fees, with the rest subsidised by the government.
"We spend a third of our wages on childcare. In other countries that can be as low as 4%, so you're looking at countries that are very similar to the UK and you're asking why have we ended up in this position? People are going into debt to try and go back to work."
Find out more about the campaign and get the latest total on the petition