Close to a third of the average couple’s income is now spent on childcare in Britain, three times the amount in Germany and the highest in Europe, according to a report from the Centre for Policy Studies.
Elizabeth Dunkley, who authored the report, said tackling the cost of childcare in this way would “improve the lives of millions”.
“Tackling the cost of childcare will allow the Government to increase families’ spending powers and remove significant barriers to women returning to the labour market – two vital ingredients to producing the economic growth the UK desperately needs,” she said.
She said this would have no cost to the taxpayer, which is already paying more than £7bn a year to subsidise the childcare sector (see box, below), but would help families struggling with the costs of living.
Read more in The Telegraph here.
Date Added: Tuesday 17th May 2022