Nursery fee rises

[Eastcoastie]

This government have completely lost the plot in their rampant desire to turn socialist dogma into actual policies.

Not content with adding VAT to private schools, the cost of nursery is going to be ramping up too.

Childcare providers already struggle and families pay huge fees. All those nursery baby rooms with a mandatory 3 to 1 ratio have just seen their wage bill go up by almost 20% where they employ 18-20 year olds. That's a minimum 7% rise on cost of childcare for parents with babies in nursery - and that's before the general annual cost increases have been added.

Labour really are financially illiterate.

I’m inclined to agree.

They bang on about no increases to working peoples’ tax burden - yet in real terms, they’re still making them worse off because employers will (understandably) pass this stuff on in the form of price increases to…. working people.

They should have introduced price controls for essential services like childcare at the same time so they can’t just increase fees willy nilly by more than the rate of inflation. It’s so greedy.

@MildGreenDairyLiquid that's what gets me too. In my area none of the local nurseries offer the government funded hours because the gov rate pays them a pittance so families who work have no choice but to pay the fees or take a career break. If more people decide the cost isn't worth it, we will see more nurseries close too. The sector is so stretched already. This is so terribly short sighted. I wonder whether labour have had any independent impact assements completed, i can only assume that they have not.

Inflation is at 2%. Raising by inflation won't begin to cover the increases in costs that the nurseries are going to have to find. If they were capped at that, most would have to close.

I'm a childminder and I'm 20 years of working in early years I must say it was much much better under labour before. There was a lot more support and free training whereas now there is very little. I really dislike nursery's I've worked in a couple and can't stick it. The owners make money off them while the actual workers are on pittance. And these workers are often minimally qualified. We need to see a move back to childminders, it's not great money but it's better than you get in a nursery and the workers in my biased opinion are usually better. Better CPD and support would drastically improve quality of care

@BestEffort i suppose it depends on the nursery and it depends on the childminder. You will get good and bad in both. I previously used a childminder who employed 2 staff so she could take holidays and also accept more children. She was cheaper than the nursery but not substantially. She is going to need to up her fees just like the nursery though, because her staff wage bill has risen.

So you thought it was right for staff to be paid less purely for being 18-20 years old? Same job should have same wages.

Inflation - 2%
NMW increase - 10%(last year and year before that)

Nursery staff deserve to be paid well - but the funding needs to come from somewhere
If the Government is giving "funded hours" they need to actually fund them!

The funding model is broken and this will cause even more closures or hikes in fees

Employers NI will go up in April 2025 and the minimum wage will have impact at the same time

Expect a rise in charges next year sorry