Nursery World - Cost of holiday childcare rises by 10 per cent

Holiday childcare costs for parents in England have risen by 10 per cent in the past year, and provision is inadequate, the Daycare Trust said this week.

The charity's seventh annual holiday childcare survey found increasesacross Britain, with a typical weekly cost of 87.43 per week. InEngland alone the average rose to 91.56 per week, almost doublethe rate of increase in Wales and a slightly higher rise than inScotland.

In total, 144 local authorities contributed to the survey - 108 fromEngland, 21 from Scotland and 15 from Wales.

Parents complaining of a lack of holiday childcare were reported byalmost three-quarters of all the Family Information Services in Englandwho responded to the survey. Across the country, gaps in services wereworst for children aged 12 and over and for disabled children.

The Daycare Trust is calling for greater subsidy for holiday andout-of-school childcare, with a long-term goal of making it free. Theproportion of help available to parents under tax credits should also beincreased from 80 per cent to 100 per cent, says the charity.

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