To think we should be protesting

[Jessieabs]

For affordable childcare.

Why are we letting the government get away with the absolute joke that is childcare in the U.K.

Over 2k per month to send 2 kids to nursery seems like madness! There should absolutely be reform to this crazy state that we’re in. Surely a huge majority of the voting population have children/have grandchildren or plan to have children, but this issue is rarely talked about at election time!

In fairness @Hopeisnotastrategy previous generations could usually afford to own a house on one parents salary and the cost of living and particularly housing was much much less. They had more disposable income to make up the 20% reduction millennial and younger parents get.

Sorry, hang on a minute to everyone who is saying ‘why should I pay for your choices’. You don’t, I pay for my choices by paying 40% income tax.

I'm surprised people don't look into it before having a child/children.

If you can’t afford two children then don’t have two children.

Childcare is expensive but that’s because for most providers it is their income, so are you suggesting that childminders/nurseries should be paid by the government?

Having children is a choice. If you can’t afford them then it’s a choice you can’t afford to make. Although there are steps you can take to mitigate, i.e. have a wider age gap for instance.

But it’s certainly not the government’s responsibility to fund your choices to have children.

Argh, what I meant to say is that other countries manage to provide decent services, including children, without it putting them on their knees. Why can’t we?

We need to be working towards getting rid of the daft assumption that it's always mum who has to bollocks up her career to look after babies. There must be an intelligent way to accommodate pregnancy and post childbirth (which I think is a grand total of 15-18 months because you need to account for breastfeeding and post natal recovery). Both parents part time?

@Jessieabs

Sorry, hang on a minute to everyone who is saying ‘why should I pay for your choices’. You don’t, I pay for my choices by paying 40% income tax.

Then suck up the childcare costs

I’ve got 4 children, and that’s my choice. I don’t see why people who haven’t chosen to have children should subsidise mine.

I mean the government should further subsidise childcare.

You mean tax payers, correct? Don't have children if you can't afford them.

Sorry, hang on a minute to everyone who is saying ‘why should I pay for your choices’. You don’t, I pay for my choices by paying 40% income tax. and others who don’t have children who pay income tax also pay for your choices.

Tax goes into the system, you don’t get to pick and choose what it’s spent on. or maybe those demanding childcare should give up something in order to be granted cheap childcare. After all, if you receive childcare then what do I who has no children receive instead?

no the government should not further subsidise your choices

If you can afford to have 2 children in a nursery full time you can't be doing too badly. There are so many more pressing issues at the moment.

You chose to have kids. It’s your job to look after them and pay for them

Not the tax payer

In Scandinavia I think they do shared parental leave? Something like 6 months each. Subsidised childcare so the women’s career doesn’t suffer basically. Society accepts men taking more time off though I suppose over there as it is the norm.

Why can’t we look at what other countries do well. And pretty much all of them (apart from the US) have better childcare provisions which makes it easier for women to carry on working. Why wouldn’t we want that? Rather than say ‘suck it up , if you can’t afford to have kids then don’t’

That’s not the issue. The issue is why do women in other countries have better provision? Why is there more equality?

@HeartsAndClubs

Sorry, hang on a minute to everyone who is saying ‘why should I pay for your choices’. You don’t, I pay for my choices by paying 40% income tax. and others who don’t have children who pay income tax also pay for your choices.

Tax goes into the system, you don’t get to pick and choose what it’s spent on. or maybe those demanding childcare should give up something in order to be granted cheap childcare. After all, if you receive childcare then what do I who has no children receive instead?

This! Perhaps they could give a subsidy to childfree people to make up for not being able to take holidays in the summer/Christmas, covering for parents when their kids are sick etc

I am amazed by the replies on this thread and probably won't add anything not to fuel further hostility. A single parent who used to pay almost £3K pcm in nursery fees.

Have to say I'm so surprised by the responses here. As some other have said, other countries manage to have affordable chilcare. Our family in the EU are astonished at what we have to pay. Everyone should encourage women back into the workforce.

Our choice to have 2 children? Or plan the gap better? We unexpectedly had twins. Try paying childcare on them for 3 years!

@AntiMaskersAreTwats

Maybe spend a bit of time with them and don’t send them into nursery for such long days every day

What a dick of a comment this is

It is expensive but I don't see how the costs could really be reduced. The staff are already on very low wages as it is and I wouldn't want to be sending my daughter for long days off somewhere with poor equipment, resources and food. The owners are entitled to make a profit as a private enterprise and I can't imagine it's a huge one at that.

People on Universal Credit do get up to 85% of childcare costs back and then from 2-3 years old the free hours kick in so there is already lots of help from the government although as with everything else there will be people who aren't covered.

What horrible replies your getting! I understand the government doesn't have the funds to help working parents with childcare but why help parents who don't work why do they get discounted childcare if they're at home all day? And why do they get preferential nursery schools places e.g full time, surely working parents need the help too? Either offer the same to everyone or no one.

No far more important to let baby boomers keep their homes and pass on a few hundred K down to their little 50 year old cherubs.
The press have spent decades demonising parents- well mothers- “life style choice” (ok then let’s not fund ivf), telling us it’s our faults we can’t afford child care (nothing to do with stagnant wages and exorbitant costs). Never going to be a vote winner- look at the disgusting, illogical calculations on child benefit

After all, if you receive childcare then what do I who has no children receive instead?
You get your pension and care costs paid under the unfunded state system from the taxes of those children when you're old?

@CactusFlowers

Argh, what I meant to say is that other countries manage to provide decent services, including children, without it putting them on their knees. Why can’t we?

Because those countries providing services such as subsidised childcare for all, pay significantly higher taxes!

Is it fair to have those on minimum wage to pay more taxes so that those on a much higher wage can get subsidised childcare, to enable them to afford a bigger house, another annual holiday or run a second car?

In my world, it isn't.

Jessieabs

I mean the government should further subsidise childcare. “

Is it fair to raise everyone’s contributions to cover the cost of those who choose to have children?

@Jessieabs

Sorry, hang on a minute to everyone who is saying ‘why should I pay for your choices’. You don’t, I pay for my choices by paying 40% income tax.

The great majority who work also pay tax at whatever rate

Quite a number of them won’t have children, but still subsidise the childcare you already get

Personally I would prefer any increase to go elsewhere, so adult care, or schools, or transport improvements, not childcare that is parents responsibility