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Daycare Trust‘s tenth annual Holiday Childcare Costs Survey, sponsored by Computershare Voucher Services (CVS), is compiled from figures submitted by local authorities in England, Scotland and Wales. It compares by region the cost and availability of childcare provision during the school holidays, and was being released as part of National Childcare Week (11-18 July 2011).

This year’s survey found that:

• 62% of local authorities in England have cut their budgets for childcare and play services since last year; and almost 50% are offering a decreased level of holiday childcare provision.
• 52% of local authorities in England said that parents had reported a shortage of holiday childcare in the last 12 months; and 89% did not have enough childcare across the local authority for either disabled children or those aged 12 and over.
• In the last year costs have increased by 3% in England but there is huge variation across the regions. In North East England costs have increased by around 20% in the last year.
• The average weekly cost for holiday childcare is £96.85 in England, £89.79 in Scotland and £81.98 in Wales- compared to a weekly average in England of £58.45 ten years ago.

Recommendations in the report include:

• Local authorities should protect holiday playschemes and subsidies for lower income families; they must not implement cuts that will lead to increased levels of child poverty and put parents’ jobs at risk.
• Central government should ensure that local authorities meet their obligations under the Childcare Act 2006 and ensure that there is sufficient childcare for all working parents.
• There should be better government support for, and promotion of, flexible working – including term-time only contracts, with new employees given the right to request flexible work at the start of their employment and not just after 26 weeks in the job.
• Regulations should be amended to allow self-employed parents to claim childcare vouchers.
• Families Information Services and Children’s information Service helplines should be supported by local authorities, so that they are able to provide a full service to parents.

Anand Shukla, acting Chief Executive of Daycare Trust said:

“We are extremely concerned that play services and holiday playschemes are falling victim to local government spending cuts. These are essential services that families across the country rely upon and we know that without these services many parents will have no option but to give up their job or take a period of unpaid leave that they can ill afford, in order to look after their children.

If families are able to access childcare, then they can expect a hefty bill. Once again, we have seen an increase in the cost of holiday childcare this year. In some regions, costs have risen dramatically since last year, putting a huge strain on families’ summer finances. For those with two or more children, the cost of holiday childcare can run to thousands of pounds – the equivalent cost of a family holiday abroad.”

Julian Foster, Managing Director of Computershare Voucher Services commented:

“It’s worrying to see such a widespread drop in local authority funding for holiday childcare and what this research highlights is that it’s now more important than ever for those clubs, organisations and schemes that have retained funding or are privately run to make childcare as accessible and affordable as possible,

“By registering with the relevant regulator – like Ofsted in England – and a childcare voucher scheme, holiday childcare organisations can enable parents to make pre-tax salary savings on their childcare – reducing the pinch felt by rising costs and the likelihood that they have to take leave from work in order to make sure their children are cared for during the holidays.”

Visit Computershare Voucher Services website

The full report is priced at £45 and can by purchased via our shop or alternatively email publications@daycaretrust.org.uk to order your copy.