The review of childcare policy will look at the current state of provision in the light of Government cuts to benefits and tax credits, the rising cost of childcare and female unemployment.
It will also seek the views of parents to find out the type of childcare they need and when they need it to help them return to work, as well as research the best childcare for children’s development, and come up with cost and financing options.
Launching Labour’s Childcare Commission at Carousel Children’s Centre in Braintree, Essex, shadow education secretary Stephen Twigg, (pictured), said that sustainable provision was crucial.
Many children’s centres were facing cuts and there was a need for a childcare service that lasts, he said, which is why Labour would look at international best practice in this area.
‘In Norway, parents can access childcare from birth to age five – at a cost that is half the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development average, ' he said.
'In Denmark, childcare is free to the lowest income families. Denmark and Norway have ten per cent more women in work than the UK. We will be studying both closely.’
Mr Twigg will work with Labour MPs Yvette Cooper, Liam Byrne, Rachel Reeves and Tessa Jowell to develop the details of a childcare system. The commssion will also hold a series of meetings with parents, teachers, children and others.
The latest unemployment figures from the Office for National Statistics show that between December and February 34,000 women stopped working, which Labour said was partly due to the rising cost of childcare, particularly for part-time workers.
According to the Daycare Trust, childcare costs have risen by 6 per cent in the past year.
Yvette Cooper, shadow home secretary and minister for women and equalities, said, ‘Childcare costs have gone up. Sure Starts and tax credits are being cut. And the result is that thousands of women are finding it impossible to work.
‘That’s a nightmare for them and for the economy – the Government’s blind spot on women is letting families down.
‘Childcare will be a key priority for supporting economic growth as well as helping families for the future and that’s why this commission is so important.’
Ryan Shorthouse, a researcher at the think-tank the Social Market Foundation, which has proposed a childcare loan scheme, said, ‘With public funds limited, the Labour Party needs to think creatively about building the high-quality, universal childcare system we need in this country.
‘The SMF’s model of public loans would make childcare much more affordable and would be costless to Government. Ken Livingstone has already pledged to adopt a version of the SMF’s scheme if elected Mayor of London. Labour should seriously consider our national scheme, which is fair, progressive and would increase revenue flowing into this valuable sector.’
