**’Childcare Costs in Wales Forcing Parents Out of Work: The Strain of the UK’s Highest Nursery Fees**
Parents across Wales are speaking out about the crippling cost of childcare, with many claiming that fees outweigh their own earnings and hold them back from career advancement. Wales, according to recent research, now suffers the highest childcare costs in the UK, a fact forcing families to make difficult choices about employment and family life.
Government support in Wales includes a much-publicised offer of up to 30 hours of free childcare per week for three and four-year-olds, but many parents describe this as falling short of real-world needs. Caroline Stuart, a full-time kitchen designer from Lisvane and mother-of-two, is among those struggling. Her family’s experience is emblematic: she and her husband Matt, a sales professional, pay nearly £800 per month for three days of childminder care. The only way they can both work is with her father stepping in for two days a week, a privilege many do not have.
“The nursery would be £92 per day for each of our sons,” Caroline explains. “After tax and pension contributions, that’s more than my take-home salary. Realistically, if we paid for full-time nursery care, I’d be losing £40 every single working day.”
The financial toll is further exacerbated by the limitations of current government schemes. Although eligible families receive 30 hours of free childcare for three and four-year-olds, this benefit is not sufficient for most full-time working households. In practice, as Caroline points out, full-time work is typically around 37.5 hours per week, leaving a gap that parents must fill with additional – and costly – wraparound care.
Recent surveys highlight the scale of the crisis. The respected children’s charity Coram revealed in its 24th annual childcare survey that while part-time nursery costs for under-twos in England have more than halved, Wales has witnessed a 10% price hike over the past year. Average fees for a part-time nursery place for a child under two in Wales now sit at £155 per week – far outstripping the average English fee of just over £70.
Supporting data from Oxfam Cymru indicate the gap is even wider for the youngest children, with fees for under-twos in Wales more than double those in England. Meanwhile, the logistical challenges continue: the Welsh childcare offer often requires children to be shuffled between state-funded nursery sessions and private settings, making seamless care a practical impossibility for many parents.
The upshot is a system which, according to parents like Caroline, penalises those who want or need to work full-time. “The system just doesn’t make sense. I want to progress in my career, but the complicated childcare offer and the financial burden put that on hold. It’s extremely frustrating – especially as we should have made more progress on this issue by now.”
The business perspective echoes these concerns. Natasha Baker, who opened a Welsh-language nursery in Newport after leaving legal practice, sees the cost pressures first-hand. “We have extremely high staffing ratios – one staff member for every three babies under two – and minimum wage is rising. The funding for free places hasn’t kept pace with these increases, so nurseries are losing money on every funded child. We simply have to raise fees to survive.”
The Welsh Government has promised increased funding, due to rise to £6.40 per hour per place, as well as permanent business rates relief for providers. Yet industry groups such as the National Day Nurseries Association warn that these measures will not offset the dramatic rise in staffing and running costs. Their latest survey shows an average 12% fee increase for parents, still not matching the average 15% rise in wage bills.
While some support is also being extended through the Flying Start programme and talk of expanding free hours, most parents and providers remain sceptical that such measures will be enough to ease the burden. With the cost of care continuing to rise, many Welsh families are left questioning whether returning to work is worth it – a dilemma with far-reaching economic implications for Wales as a whole.