Skip to content
Search AI Powered

Latest Stories

UK budget may increase childcare funding to ease pressure on women

Childcare costs in the UK are among the highest in the 38-nation OECD, accounting for nearly a third (29 per cent) of a family’s income

UK budget may increase childcare funding to ease pressure on women

Increased childcare funding is expected to feature in the UK government's budget, in a bid to ease pressure on families and particularly women.

Childcare costs in the UK are among the highest in the 38-nation OECD, accounting for nearly a third (29 per cent) of a family's income compared to just nine per cent in France.


That has led to a situation where some parents have been forced to give up work or drastically reduce their hours, with women often bearing the brunt, and the UK economy suffering too.

Natalie Ford said she had "no choice" when she had her son. "I had no idea how much nurseries cost," she said. "It was a bit of a shock."

She and her husband pay over £900 for a few days a week of childcare for their 19-month-old son -- more than what they pay for their mortgage.

Nationwide, the average nursery bill is £285 a week for a child under two, and much more in London, according to the Family and Childcare Trust charity.

Ford, 39, from Brentwood in Essex, east of London, tried to negotiate more flexible hours and working from home with her company.

But when that was refused she had no option but to quit.

She now works as an executive personal assistant from home, while her husband, an insurance broker, also does some remote work.

Very little publicly funded help exists until a child is three. After that, the state pays for 15 hours of childcare a week, and twice that for low-income households.

But the money, paid to nurseries, often does not cover their costs, which have soared with inflation.

"My husband is a very hands-on dad," said Ford. "He does pick-ups and drop-offs (at nursery) but I feel like, even in our situation, I'm the higher earner of the two of us, I have to make a bit more of a sacrifice than he would, being the mum."

Actress Lucy Milnes, 40, has hardly worked since the birth of her second son two years ago but she said the situation was not sustainable.

So she and her husband decided to put him in day care three mornings a week, the minimum accepted by the institution.

Milnes hopes this will give her "time to secure more work" and break "a vicious circle".

Government statistics last year showed that for the first time in at least 30 years, the number of women not working to look after their families rose by five per cent.

Among 25- to 34-year-old women, the figure was 13 percent.

Of those not working, 28.5 per cent said they were doing so to look after their families, compared to 6.9 per cent of men.

(AFP)

More For You

Sara Sharif e1692881096452

Sara was discovered dead in her bunkbed on 10 August 2023.

Sara was discovered dead in her bunkbed on 10 August 2023.

'Chatterbox with biggest smile': Headteacher pays tribute to Sara Sharif

SARA SHARIF, a ten-year-old girl who suffered fatal abuse at the hands of her father and stepmother, is being remembered as a cheerful and caring pupil with a love for singing.

Her father, Urfan Sharif, 42, and stepmother, Beinash Batool, 30, were found guilty on 11 December of her murder at their home in Woking, Surrey, on 8 August 2023. Sara’s uncle, Faisal Malik, 29, was convicted of causing or allowing the death of a child.

Keep ReadingShow less
Healthcare workers hold placards as they demonstrate on Westminster Bridge, near to St Thomas' Hospital in London on May 1, 2023. (Photo: Getty Images)
Healthcare workers hold placards as they demonstrate on Westminster Bridge, near to St Thomas' Hospital in London on May 1, 2023. (Photo: Getty Images)

Teachers, nurses warn of strikes over 2.8 per cent pay rise proposal

TEACHERS and nurses may strike after the government recommended a 2.8 per cent pay rise for public sector workers for the next financial year.

Ministers cautioned that higher pay awards would require cuts in Whitehall budgets.

Keep ReadingShow less
A man walks past a mural that says ‘Northern Ireland’, on Sandy Row in Belfast, Northern Ireland, August 11, 2024. (Photo: Reuters)
A man walks past a mural that says ‘Northern Ireland’, on Sandy Row in Belfast, Northern Ireland, August 11, 2024. (Photo: Reuters)

Northern Ireland approves extension of post-Brexit trade rules

NORTHERN Ireland’s devolved government has voted to continue implementing post-Brexit trading arrangements under the Windsor Framework, a deal signed between London and the European Union in February 2023.

The vote in the Northern Ireland Assembly at Stormont extended the arrangement for four years.

Keep ReadingShow less
'Covid bereavement rates in Scotland highest among Asians'
Ethnic groups were found to be two-and-a-half times more likely to have experienced the loss of a close family member.

'Covid bereavement rates in Scotland highest among Asians'

THE bereavement rates due to Covid in Scotland have been highest among those identifying with ‘Any other’ ethnic group (68 per cent), followed by Indians (44 per cent) and Pakistanis (38 per cent), a new study revealed. This is significantly higher than the national average of around 25 per cent.

Ethnic groups were found to be two-and-a-half times more likely to have experienced the loss of a close family member during the Covid crisis.

Keep ReadingShow less
Harmeet Dhillon gives a benediction at the end of the first day of the 2024 Republican National Convention at the Fiserv Forum in Milwaukee, Wisconsin,  on July 15, 2024. (Photo: Getty Images)
Harmeet Dhillon gives a benediction at the end of the first day of the 2024 Republican National Convention at the Fiserv Forum in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, on July 15, 2024. (Photo: Getty Images)

Trump nominates Harmeet Dhillon for top Department of Justice role

US PRESIDENT-ELECT Donald Trump has nominated Indian-American attorney Harmeet K Dhillon as assistant attorney general for civil rights at the Department of Justice.

“I am pleased to nominate Harmeet K Dhillon as assistant attorney general for civil rights at the US Department of Justice,” Trump announced on Monday on Truth Social, his social media platform.

Keep ReadingShow less