The dire state of childcare in London was revealed on Thursday in a new report that shows the capital suffers from the worst childcare shortages in the country and the highest prices.
The problem is most severe in outer London with almost three quarters of councils saying they do not have enough places for children under the age of two, according to data released by charity Coram Family and Childcare.
At the same time the cost of childcare in both inner and outer London is soaring above the price for it elsewhere.
Campaigners, business groups and MPs are calling on Chancellor Jeremy Hunt to use his Budget next week to announce more support for parents.
In a sign of how central childcare could be in the next general election, expected late in 2024, shadow education secretary Bridget Phillipson today used a speech to centre-Right think tank Onward to pledge that Labour would be the “party of the family”.
She said: “Support for childcare is at once inadequate and delivered through too many systems: complex and confused. The cost of childcare is pricing parents out of jobs they love.”
Labour is targeting Tory marginal seats where the population of children aged under 11 is more than 10 per cent.These include Wimbledon, Croydon South, Finchley and Golders Green and Kensington. Labour has promised to expand state nursery provision and introduce fully funded breakfast clubs for all primary schools in England.
The data released reveals that inner London has the most expensive nursery places for two-year-olds in the country, with a full-time place costing more than £370, compared with a national average of about £280.
The cost for children under two is almost £400 — more than 62 per cent higher than in the East Midlands (£242).
Megan Jarvie, head of Coram Family and Childcare, said: “The need for reform of the childcare system is urgent. As well as eye watering bills, parents are facing widening gaps in availability of the childcare they need.”
A Government spokesman said:⯓The number of childcare places available to families in England has remained broadly stable since 2015 and standards remain high, with 96 per cent of providers rated good or outstanding.
“We recognise that families and early years providers across the country are facing financial pressures, which is why we have spent more than £20 billion over the past five years to support families with the cost of childcare.”
