By Fatou Coulibaly and Michelle Sit Aboha
Chancellor Jeremy Hunt promises that families with children aged one and two years old can now receive 30 hours of free childcare weekly.
Hunt’s speech occurred during the Spring Budget 2023, which took place in Parliament on Wednesday morning at 12:30, after Prime Minister Rishi Sunak’s Questions.
The Budget 2023, defined by the Chancellor as a ‘Budget for growth’, aims to encourage parents to return to work to increase economic growth.
Before, only parents of children aged four or five could receive 30 hours of free childcare, which left behind parents of children below that cut-off age.
“I moved to a part-time position even if I love what I do because childcare is too expensive for children under three years old,” said Sonia Massei, 30, a nail aesthetician and mother of a one-year-old child.
“When I was looking for childcare, they even asked me for £70 or £80 per day, which is almost one day of work. So, I understood that there was no point in going to work if, on the other hand, I wasn’t making any profit. This is why I’m only working two days per week,” she added.
Changing lives
Sonia will soon be able to apply for free childcare, if the government’s plans come into fruition. According to her, it will significantly change her family’s life.
“Currently, the government is giving us only £87 per month! We can’t even afford to buy nappies or food with this money. And, working part-time to avoid paying for childcare doesn’t help for sure,” said Sonia.
“So, to allow us to have 30 hours of free childcare will allow me to come back to do my profession while not worrying about buying everything I need to care for my baby.”
To extend free childcare, Hunt is planning to increase the hourly pay rate of childcare providers by the government. By doing so, the plan consists in increasing the funding by £288m by 2024-25. However, as reported by The Guardian last month, one Treasury source said this plan might be too expensive.
Other relevant changes covered during his speech are:
1. The number of children per staff member in nurseries will rise from four to five, but the changes will be optional
2. Nurseries will receive more funding
3. Parents on Universal Credit will have childcare costs paid by the government up front
4. The maximum amount families on Universal Credit can claim for childcare will be increased by hundreds of pounds
5. People who take on a childminding job will receive £600 as a one-off sweetener, while agency workers who take become childminders job will receive £1,200 as part of a pilot scheme
6. Schools will receive more funding to provide wraparound childcare
Source: The Sun
However, childcare is a crucial political topic for the next election, considering how parents in the UK are facing the highest prices in the world.
Being a parent in the UK: a privilege that not everyone can afford
To get an idea of how expensive childcare is, it mainly depends on the child’s age.
“The UK’s relatively strict “carer-to-child” ratios mean the younger the child, the more expensive the childcare”, says the BBC.
Data from the Office for National Statistics (ONS) shows that about 1.5 million women don’t work due to caring responsibilities.
A survey conducted by the Pregnant then Screwed charity says that 43% of mothers said that leaving their jobs was due to the cost of childcare.
The BBC says the UK is the third most expensive country among the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) countries.
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