Skip to content
Search

Latest Stories

UK announces new protections for working parents eligible for childcare support

THE UK on Monday(26) announced that working parents who are on the government’s job support schemes will continue to receive their childcare entitlements from 1 November, even if their income levels fall below the threshold.

The government's job support scheme and extension to self-employed income support scheme will end on 31 October.


The minimum income threshold for 30 hours free childcare and tax-free Childcare is usually equal to 16 hours per week at the national minimum wage.

In May, government announced that those who were previously eligible, but whose income temporarily dropped as a direct result of the pandemic, retained access to support through 30 hours of childcare support.

The department for education provides 30 hours free childcare to eligible 3- and 4-year-olds in England and has seen 180,000 applications and around 430,000 reconfirmations for 30 hours places since March 2020, an official statement said.

“This Government is increasing the safety net available to families, protecting working parents and our dedicated early years sector. This has been our constant priority. Now we see attendance rates rising as more parents return to work and take up the formal childcare arrangements they used before Covid-19 struck," said children and families minister Vicky Ford.

“It’s testament to the hard work of early years professionals that these numbers are returning to what we would have seen before the pandemic. We know challenges remain for many families, which is why we continue to protect parents’ eligibility for our free childcare offers so they retain this vital support.”

Data reveals that more parents are returning to their formal childcare settings, with attendance at early years settings now at 86 per cent of pre-coronavirus daily levels.

Besides, the latest parent survey by Ipsos MORI, shows that in September 94 per cent of parents whose child received formal childcare before the pandemic were either using formal childcare now, or were intending to by January 2021.

It also shows that among those families who had returned to using formal childcare in September 71 per cent were at the same nursery, preschool or childminder as before the pandemic.

Exactly half were using the same number of hours of formal childcare as before. Only one in eight were using fewer hours, while more than one third (35 per cent) had increased their hours of formal childcare, an official statement said.

Karl Khan, director general HMRC customer service said: “It’s a generous offer and these easements will ensure that it continues to help working families across the UK in the winter months. Protecting the eligibility and giving vital support to many working parents across the UK with the costs of childcare - including parents with school aged children up to age 11 and disabled children up to 17 - helps those families return to work when they are able to.”

More For You

british-muslims-iStock

The study noted that this identification was not due to any doctrinal obligation but was influenced by the perception that many Muslims do not feel fully accepted as British. (Representational image: iStock)

iStock

Majority of British Muslims identify by faith first, study finds

A STUDY by the Institute for the Impact of Faith in Life (IIFL) has found that most British Muslims identify primarily with their religion rather than their nationality.

The research, based on a survey of 815 British Muslim adults by Whitestone Insight, revealed that 71 per cent of respondents identified as Muslim first, while 27 per cent identified as British, English, or Scottish first.

Keep ReadingShow less
Car Tax Changes: EV Owners Now Required to Pay for the First Time

Owners of electric vehicles registered on or after 1 April 2025 will pay £10 for the first year, followed by the standard VED rate of £195 from the second year. (Representational image: iStock)

iStock

Car tax changes take effect: EV owners to pay for first time

FROM today, 1 April 2025, electric cars, vans, and motorcycles in the UK will be subject to Vehicle Excise Duty (VED) for the first time.

The change, introduced in the 2022 Autumn Statement by former Conservative Chancellor Jeremy Hunt, aims to make motoring taxation fairer.

Keep ReadingShow less
scotland-minimum-wages-iStock

Full-time workers on the National Living Wage will receive an annual pay increase of £1,400 in real terms. (Representational image: iStock)

iStock

Wage increase takes effect for thousands of workers in Scotland

HUNDREDS of thousands of workers in Scotland will see a pay increase as new National Living Wage and National Minimum Wage rates take effect from Tuesday.

The changes will benefit approximately 220,000 people, according to STV News.

Keep ReadingShow less
uk-energy-bill-iStock

Water bills, energy prices, and council tax are rising, while the minimum wage has also increased (Representational image: iStock)

iStock

April bill increases put financial strain on single parents

A RANGE of essential household bills are increasing from April, with Citizens Advice warning that single parents will be among the hardest hit.

Water bills, energy prices, and council tax are rising, while the minimum wage has also increased, BBC reported.

Keep ReadingShow less
Netflix drama Adolescence to be screened in UK schools
Stephen Graham and Owen Cooper in 'Adolescence'
Netflix

Netflix drama Adolescence to be screened in UK schools

THE NETFLIX drama Adolescence will be shown in UK secondary schools as part of efforts to address harmful online influences on young boys, officials announced on Monday.

The show has sparked debate over the impact of toxic and misogynistic content on the internet. Prime minister Keir Starmer met the show's creators, charities, and young people at Downing Street, calling the initiative an important step in starting discussions about the content teenagers are exposed to online.

Keep ReadingShow less