More than a quarter of parents with under fives struggling to balance work and childcare - Tulip Siddiq responds

Tulip Siddiq MP, Labour’s Shadow Minister for Children and Early Years, responding to Early Years Alliance research showing that more than a quarter of parents with under-fives are struggling to balance work and childcare, said:

“Working parents are under incredible daily pressure as a result of the Government’s failure to deliver affordable childcare for all.

“A decade of underfunding has driven up childcare costs and reduced availability, with nearly 3,000 providers lost since the start of this year alone. As so often is the case under the Conservatives, it is the poorest families who are bearing the brunt of this failure.

“This Conservative Government has been all talk and no action when it comes to supporting parents with childcare. Ministers need to wake up to the huge difficulties facing families and put their needs first as we rebuild after the pandemic.”

Ends

Notes to editors

According to government statistics, there were 74,130 childcare providers in England as of 31^st December 2020. The latest data release shows that there were 71,221 childcare providers as of 31^st July 2021. This amounts to a loss of 2,909 childcare providers since the start of the year.

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/joiners-and-leavers-in-the-childcare-sector