Chronic childcare shortage leaves thousands of parents ‘paying to work’
A third of parents cannot afford to have another child as families grapple with large childcare bills and the rising cost of living.
A survey of more than 11,500 parents found more than half had been forced to cut their working hours so they could stay at home and cut childcare costs.
Campaign group Pregnant Then Screwed, which conducted the survey, warned the chronic shortage of affordable childcare meant thousands of parents were now effectively “paying to work” because the cost of housing, energy and food has climbed.
One in three parents who responded to the survey said they could not afford another child and almost 1,500 said they or a partner had left their job because of childcare costs or availability.