Young families struggling with childcare costs

New dad Luke Platts says he will have to juggle full-time work with caring for his son, Percy, because of the high cost of childcare

A new father who says nursery fees cost more than his monthly mortgage has called on politicians to make childcare affordable.

Luke Platts plans to juggle working full-time from his home in Bolton-upon-Dearne, near Barnsley, with caring for his baby when his wife returns to work in August.

He said that even with the government's 15 hours of free childcare, the cost was not sustainable.

The issue is one which is being addressed by politicians ahead of the upcoming general election

• Who gets free childcare and how do I apply?

• Are there enough childcare places?

• How expensive is UK childcare?

Mr Platts said: "Full-time nursery care for us is well over £1,000 a month.

"That's more than our mortgage, and it's about two-thirds of my take-home salary, so it's not feasible.

"We'd be working just to pay for the childcare so we might as well be at home and cut out the middle man."

His wife Chloe is planning to return to her job as a nurse in August, but on reduced hours to allow her to look after their son Percy one day a week.

The couple are also relying on their own parents to help occasionally to care for the six-month-old.

"I definitely feel guilty relying on my parents. I'm trying not to," said Mr Platts.

"They've worked all their lives so I don't think it's fair that they go into retirement and then straight into full-time childcare.

"There shouldn't be that expectation on grandparents."

'Big chunk of salary'

To help parents with increasing costs, funded hours - known as "free hours" - are available.

Families who are working can claim 15 hours of free childcare a week for one- and two-year-olds, and 30 hours a week for children aged three to four.

However the hours only apply to 38 weeks of the year during school term-time.

Mr Platts said: "We do get the 15 hours a week, but it's more like 10 hours when it's spread over the year, and we'll have to top that up with around £400 a month, just for Percy to do three mornings a week at nursery.

"For us that's a big chunk of a salary."

"I know I'm fortunate that I can work from home, but it's going to be difficult.

"I've got to juggle making sure Percy's safe and happy whilst also maintaining good quality work.

"It's going to be a challenge, but it's just not feasible any other way.

"Right now he's content staying in one place, but when he starts to walk, we'll just have to figure that out when it comes to it. It is a worry."

'Not sustainable'

According to children's charity Coram, the average cost of full-time nursery care for a child under two is £15,709.

The figure has increased from just under £15,000 in 2023 - and represents about 45% of the average income for most families.

Mr Platts said that being a dad is all he ever wanted, but that he and his could not afford to have a second child.

"It's just not sustainable. I don't see how most people could afford these costs.

"And then it begs the question, why would you have a second child when the first is so expensive?

"Now I know the reality of it I have to ask, is it financially viable? I'd have to be able to give them a good quality of life.

"Right now I've got no savings for a second child, and we definitely couldn't afford two in nursery.

"Everyone has an idea of what their dream job would be, and mine has always been to be dad. But I'm nervous about the future.

"It's not nice having to worry about whether I can look after my son properly, and whether we can afford all the bills. We shouldn't be working just to pay for childcare."

Party policies

The issue is one which is being addressed by politicians ahead of the upcoming general election, but Mr Platts has not been impressed with what he has heard so far.

"I've not seen enough policies coming through in manifestos to improve childcare and encourage people to have children.

"A full-time parent works 40 hours a week, so 15 hours is nowhere near enough, and there are limited (numbers of) nurseries; everyone's fighting for spaces in nurseries.

"We've had years of policies but it's not helping the people who need it. Supporting families is just not talked about enough."

The Conservatives said they would expand their free childcare offer. Parents  would be able to claim 30 hours of government-funded childcare a week, over 38 weeks of the year, from the age of nine months up to their child starting school.

Labour pledged to take this same plan forward, rolling out funding over the next year. They also announced a plan to open 3,300 new nurseries in primary school classrooms and create 100,000 more nursery places.

The Liberal Democrats said they want all parents to be able to access childcare that is flexible, affordable and fair. Their manifesto includes plans to increase maternity, paternity and shared parental leave pay along with an enhanced rate of child benefit for one-year-olds.

Reform has pledged to 'frontload' the child benefit system for children aged 1-4 to give parents more time to spend with their children.

The Green Party said it would abolish the two-child benefit cap and would extend the current government's offer of childcare to 35 hours per week from the age of nine months. It also promised £1.4bn per year for local authorities to invest in Sure Start centres aimed at improving early years health and education.

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