Childcare provision in NW ‘on its knees’ warns Derry & Strabane Alderman as costs soar

It follows a motion by UUP Alderman Derek Hussey, at the April Full Council meeting, which proposed writing to the Executive Office and calling on the Northern Ireland Executive to “prioritise cross-departmental financing of a viable early years childcare strategy”.

A poll, by Employers for Childcare, found that 73 percent of childcare providers had either increased fees at the start of this year or intend to by June.

Alderman Hussey said that as the Cost of Living continues to rise, childcare providers have “no other option” than to raise fees to cover overheads and as a consequence families are “burdened with increased charges”.

“Currently the increase in fees stands at 14%, well above the rate of inflation, so clearly the childcare sector here is on its knees,” Alderman Hussey added. “Childcare providers are struggling as their expenses soar and there’s no option but to pass cost onto client families or face closure.

“The results of the poll clearly reinforce what has been obvious for months: they demonstrably emphasise that the sector and parents continue to struggle with these costs and the threat of closure is very real.

“When the Assembly returned a motion called for high quality, affordable childcare and this was unanimously supported.

“However, whilst there has been commitment, cross-party discussions need to be expedited on how they plan to move forward and finance a viable strategy.”

SDLP councillor Rory Farrell said childcare was “one of the biggest burdens on working families”.

“It’s more than the cost of mortgages, food, utilities, and in some cases it’s higher than wages,” councillor Farrell said., “And families deserve accessible, quality, affordable childcare.

“But they also need support from the Government to provide some element of free childcare, and every other region on these islands has it.

“Our Executive doe not have a strategy let alone any plans to deliver free childcare, so they must act now to support working families.”

Sinn Féin Councillor Caitlin Deeney said the Minister for Finance ,Caoimhe Archibald, has prioritised an affordable childcare strategy since the restoration of the Executive, as it was a “key priority” for Sinn Féin.

“The Executive are continuing to lobby the Treasury to provide needed money,” Councillor Deeney added. “It’s not an additional ask, it’s what we’re entitled to.

“Parents right now are rightly frustrated as for many parents childcare costs are unaffordable and add extreme pressures in an already challenging time, but childcare providers also need supported as they are also struggling to make ends meet.”

The Northern Ireland budget agreed by the Executive and announced by Minister Archibald on Thursday confirmed that £25m has been allocated and set aside in recognition of “the importance of a Childcare Strategy” given the pressures being faced by providers and families across the north.

Andrew Balfour,

Local Democracy Reporter.