Fears over childcare costs cloud Southwark parents’ summer

17 July 2018

Despite the excitement most children are feeling about the summer holidays, Southwark Council recognises that for many parents, the holidays create a host of worries about affordable childcare.

Cllr Victoria Mills Cabinet Member for Finance, Performance and Brexit said: “As we all enjoy the wonderful weather, the increase in temperatures brings with it a rise in childcare costs. For many parents the summer holidays can be a real headache - schools and preschools are closed and government schemes like 30 free hours are term time only. Parents either have to use up all their holiday, or pay extra for holiday clubs or longer days with a childminder.

“Affordable, quality holiday childcare is a vital part of our infrastructure, both as a borough and as a country as a whole, but last year the Family and Childcare Trust found that the average cost of six weeks of holiday childcare per child was £748. Inner London parents already pay on average around £55 a week more for their childcare than parents in other parts of the country with poorer parents being the hardest hit when it comes to higher prices over summer. For many parents, taking six weeks off work to look after their kids is simply not an option, and in London many parents don’t have grandparents or other family members around the corner to help out. If we want a thriving economy we need to support working parents, so that holidays are a time to recharge batteries and have quality family time, not worry about how they are going to manage for the rest of the summer.

“As a parent of two young children myself, I understand the stress and frustration that parents face, and as a council we are committed to helping to ease these pressures. That’s why we are exploring options to help parents spread the costs of childcare over a longer period through an affordable loan scheme.”

More information on how to pay for childcare is available on the government’s Childcare Choices website. You can also find out more about childcare, holiday play schemes and Ofsted approved childminders on the Southwark Council website.
 

Page last updated: 17 July 2018