A package of measures to reduce the cost of childcare will include increasing the number of toddlers each adult can care for in nurseries and allowing carers to spend more time working from locations such as village halls rather than their own their homes. The changes, which will be subject to consultation, are designed to reduce the cost of nursery fees, which have reached an average of £265 a week for two-year-olds, compared to £236 a week for carers. Ministers are expected to claim the proposals would save families £40 a week. Under the plans overseen by Nadhim Zahawi, the education secretary, ministers will also pledge to help more people become carers by relaxing rules on where they can work. Currently, childminders are expected to care for children in their own home or someone else’s residence, but in many cases would-be guardians may not live in suitable apartments or houses. Under the changes, carers will be able to spend significant time looking after children in other settings, such as community centres, churches and village halls. Separately, nurseries are currently required to enforce a ratio of at least one member of staff looking after four two-year-olds. This ratio is expected to increase to allow one member of staff to care for five two-year-olds at any one time.
Opposition to changes is likely
The changes are likely to be opposed by some activists. A petition on Parliament’s website says “increasing the number of children for whom an adult can be held legally responsible risks exposing these young children, the most vulnerable in society,” and has gathered more than 63,500 signatures. But the changes follow calls from figures such as Brett Wigdortz, the founder of Teach First, for childcare reform to help tackle the cost of living. Last month, Mr Wigdortz, who now runs Tiney, a childcare network, said: “Too often overlooked in policy discussions, childcare offers cheaper options for parents, high-quality care for children and opportunity for professionals to earn a decent wage… We need practical policies to increase the number of carers.’ The announcements come after a poll last week showed voters turning against the government and the Bank of England over the cost of living crisis, with almost one in three saying excessive public spending was “significantly” to blame for high inflation . A survey of 1,500 people for The Telegraph found that 29 per cent believed that rising government spending was more to blame for rising inflation than the disruption caused by Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and the supply chain problems it caused from the Covid-19 pandemic. In the same poll, carried out by Redfield & Wilton Strategies, 59 per cent of people said they disapproved of Boris Johnson’s performance on the economy – almost 20 percentage points compared to a similar survey seven months ago. In May, Andrew Griffith, Mr Johnson’s policy chief, backed the possibility of reducing childcare fees, saying: “An experienced mum looking to become a carer faces hundreds of pounds in compulsory learning fees and inspections.” Discussing ways to reduce inflation and reduce the cost of living, he added: “Imagine if we could overnight reduce every charge and levy imposed by the state. Not general taxation that pays for public services, but all the other fees charged by different levels of government, regulators and quangos. From TV licenses to passport application fees.”
