 News
8th February 2006
Nursery costs soar
Childcare costs have risen significantly above inflation
in the last year, according to the Daycare Trust.
The average cost of a full-time nursery place in Britain has reached
£7,400 with typical charge for a full-time place for a child aged under
two is now £142 a week.
The cost of a full-time place in England has risen 27 per cent since
2000 with charges highest in London.
Beth Reid, from the Childcare Trust, said rising charges across the country
were partly due to rising labour costs.
"The minimum wage has been rising and many childcare staff are on the
minimum wage," she said.
"Also, the cost of premises is expensive - especially in London and the
South East."
The average charge for a nursery place in Inner London is currently
£197 a week, while in outer London the typical cost is £174 a week.
But some parents are paying much more, particularly for child minders.
For the first time the most expensive childminders cost even more than
nurseries, with some childminders in London and the South East charging
£500 a week per child.
Even for central London, however, the figure is untypical.
The average cost there is a more affordable £163 a week, ahead of the
average for Great Britain of £130 a week.
Looking back over the last five years, the trust says childcare costs
have far outstripped the general rise in inflation.
Despite the new government policies introduced in the last few years,
the Daycare Trust calculates that parents in the UK still have to pay
about 75 per cent of their total childcare costs, compared to a European
average of 30 per cent.
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