A parent and Socialist Party member
Many parents voted Labour in the general election hoping the crisis in childcare would finally be addressed. After all, Labour pledged over 3,000 new nursery classes across England. Labour’s manifesto pledged that “spare school classrooms will be converted into high-quality spaces for nurseries, paid for by ending the tax breaks private schools enjoy.”
What has actually happened? Privately run well-established nurseries using school premises are being pushed out and replaced with school-based childcare, often with fewer hours and places offered.
Childcare deserts
The government’s plans aren’t enough to resolve the issues of childcare deserts. In Doncaster, for example, there are just 17 placements for 100 children. Many childcare settings have closed, as the lack of proper funding, low pay and poor conditions have led to staff shortages. Services for children with special educational needs are facing further cuts and closures.
Despite government schemes, many parents struggle to fund currently exorbitant childcare costs while working low-paid jobs or unable to claim support due to studying. Research by IPPR with Save the Children found that the childcare expansion is at risk of failing the families most in need.
The burden of arranging care and costs is enough to put some parents off entirely. As a parent juggling full-time work and childcare, I’ve forgotten to upload a payment and invoice to my Universal Credit journal and as a result lost out on £700 last month that I’ll never see. My daughter starts school next year and I, along with thousands of other parents, will need to find childcare for her during school holidays.
This is a clear example of why we need public ownership and democratic planning of childcare provision, with both workers and the community making the decisions. Blanket proposals from the government often create more problems than they resolve. We need a fully funded childcare system, with the resources provided for staff to be paid what they deserve, facilities safe for children and for it to be free at the point of use.
