Childcare costs break £6k barrier - a rise of 33% over the course of this parliament

[KateMumsnet]

Hello all

A report by the Family and Childcare Trust has found that the annual cost of a childcare place has, for the first time, broken the £6,000 barrier, averaging £115.45 per week across Britain. This means that childcare costs have risen by an inflation-busting 33% over the course of this parliament, and that, for families on the lowest incomes, it no longer pays to work.

We'd love to know what you think. Are your childcare costs comparable? Have you found that childcare costs outweigh the benefits of working? Do share your thoughts and experiences below.

Oh, and £6000 divided by 25 divided by 225 working days =£1.06 per hour

I should be on granny's net really but I do have to say that when I had my children we had a mortgage which was 5 times our joint salary and the mortgage interest rate was 16 3/4 %. I think child benefit was introduced when my first was quite little, it was a pound a week. I had earned £12.00p per week as a Vet nurse, until I gave up work to look after my child, when I was working half of my wage went of food, does any one now days spend half their weekly salary on food? (food is so cheap these days compared to then).

Nobody was offering anything for Child care. If I had not wanted or expected to look after my own children I would not have had them.
I would not have wanted anyone else bring my children up on a daily basis, I did not want them learning to speak with any weird accent and I did want them to learn how to hold a knife and fork properly and all about table manners etc. Does any health care actually do any of this?

If you want children for goodness sake consider the care of hem before you have them.

Right so everyone with children must have a sahp. ok

And not to forget those on benefits are bashed too. Only the rich are allowed to have children

JAC25 - with respect there are lots of differences between your experience and those of my generation. Yes, I completely take on board that you have to consider childcare before you have children but the world was a completely different place.

Yes food might have been expensive and child benefit might have been new, but did you have student loans?Were you required to move around the country (away from family) and incur moving expenses because you couldnt necessarily find work on your doorstep? Was the price of utilities / petrol the same comparatively speaking? Were you or your husband in final salary pension schemes?

I'm not saying its tougher now than it was when you were bringing up a family but its not as black and white as your post suggests.

I pay about £14,000 a year. 2 kids (5 and 1.) Nanny, and I am incredibly lucky to afford her, but it's her first job as a nanny (so she's willing to take a lower rate than normal).

It's more than our mortgage and is crippling for us - but it's the cheapest option for us - cheaper than wraparound care for DD and full-time nursery for DS.

If anything I feel guilty for paying her this little.

I totally agree with previous poster that a SAHP is now looking like a sound financial choice. For us, the SAHP would have had to have been DH (as I outearn him and we couldn't survive financially on his salary.) DH didn't want to SAHP, and that's his call.

I'd like to see tax breaks for childcare costs parents who are working and have kids under school age.

JAC25 "I did not want them learning to speak with any weird accent"

Er what the actual f**k? Everyone has an accent even the Queen.