Early education and childcare have a critical impact on both helping children to develop and in supporting parents, especially mothers, to work [1]. The provision of childcare impacts disposal income and living standards of families with young children.
According to the Child Poverty Action Group (CPAG), parents in London can pay twice as much for childcare for young children as families outside the capital [2].
Meanwhile, research carried out by the Centre for Progressive Policy found that among mothers who reported struggling with access to childcare, 15 per cent said they had to quit their jobs and 30 per cent had to reduce the hours that they worked [3].
Gingerbread, a charity that works with single parent families, found that nearly 40 per cent of single parents find it difficult to meet childcare costs, compared to 25 per cent of couple households [4].
For the first of two meetings on childcare in London, the London Assembly Economy Committee will meet tomorrow to discuss the impact of costs and levels of provision on childcare users.
How effective is the current national system of support for childcare costs, including the 15 hours and 30 hours of free childcare? How does this affect the living standards of parents and families? And what is the gendered impact of childcare costs in London?
The guests are:
- Joeli Brearley, Founder and Director, Pregnant then Screwed
- Ben Franklin, Director of Research & Policy, Centre for Progressive Policy
- Christine Farquharson, Associate Director, Institute for Fiscal Studies (IFS)
- Iain Mansfield, Director of Research and Head of Education and Science, Policy Exchange
- Victoria Benson, Chief Executive Officer, Gingerbread
The meeting will take place on Tuesday 23 May from 10am, in the Chamber at City Hall, Kamal Chunchie Way, E16 1ZE.
Media and members of the public are invited to attend.
The meeting can also be viewed LIVE or later via webcast or YouTube.
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Notes to editors
- Local Government, Effect of the COVID-19 outbreak on early years settings, House of Commons, 12 January 2021 | Local Government Association, 7 January 2021
- Child Poverty Action Group, The Cost of a Child in London: help with childcare fees ‘woefully inadequate’ | CPAG, 10 July 2021
- Centre for Progressive Policy, Women in the labour market, 14 October 2021
- Gingerbread, The single parent debt trap, 8 February 2021
- Full agenda papers.
- Marina Ahmad AM, Chair of the Economy Committee, is available for interview.
- Find out more about the work of the Economy Committee.
- As well as investigating issues that matter to Londoners, the London Assembly acts as a check and a balance on the Mayor.
For more information, please contact Emma Bowden in the Assembly Media Office on 07849 303897. For out of hours media enquiries please call 020 7983 4000 and ask for the Assembly duty press officer.