Government delays childcare help

Another report here

You simply can't have cheap child care - it is very expensive (and even then I don't think staff get paid enough). I don't know what the answer is but certainly the government has promised something it can't afford without raising taxes.

Most families do need 2 working parents in order to live.
However if you read articles like this you see that free places, that can't be afforded, just put up the costs outside those 'free' places- nurseries have to balance the books.

Most families these days need two working parents to afford a mortgage.

I stayed at home apart from part time work within school times so I lived on a tiny widows pension and pt earnings, we scrimped and I used to recycle, upcycle. I baked, cooked healthy meals, made homemade wine from hedgerows fruit, made desserts from the same, I sewed and repaired clothes, I still have my hand made quilt on my bed. My DD says she had a wonderful childhood, we spent money on books and films rather than holdays or getting into debt. I too help out with DGDs childcare as I want more for DD and her family than I had.
However I think that some families are a bit greedy, do they really need a holiday each year, you can live without one, is it necessary to have the latest video games etc. There needs to be a rethink of some peoples priorities.

I also do not understand why there had to be an emergency budget, pretending that they did not know how much money there was.

I don't agree either. I was just pointing out that nurseries pointed out right from the start that they couldn't understand the promise because there was already a shortfall.

Well why not raise taxes? I'd rather pay more so that we can go some way towards living in a fairer society where children, old people and the vulnerable are properly supported.

I agree with Tegan - you shouldn't use the excuse that there isn't enough money when you have already promised something. They knew what the financial situation was because they had been in power and had access to the figures.

It's irrelevant that when it was promised there was no money for it. The fact is the chancellor knew how much money was in the kitty and it was promised to get people to vote for them..as with the cap on nursing home payment it was a carrot dangled at vulnerable people to get their votes and it was a lie. Bad karma [and don't anyone say the other parties have done/will do the same...that doesn't make it any more forgiveable ].

When it was first announced Twitter was full of those working with Early Years expressing amazement that they would get the funding to meet it.

It isn't possible to have quality child care on the cheap. That is why grandparent's help is vital to so many families.

I am involved in 2 holiday things that attract children and it is very noticeable that most of them come with grandparents.
I was surprised to find that all my activities have a break in August. I have no grandchildren and couldn't understand it because we avoid going away in school holidays. It is because everyone is busy looking after grandchildren for the month.

leticia- good point. I think people forget that.

Only by raising taxes- it is 'our' money- they don't get it from elsewhere.

But if you are the Government, you can sure as hell try.

It is rather like care for the elderly. You can't get away with paying carers and nursery workers less than the living wage to prop up services.

Good quality childcare is expensive. The government was promising something it couldn't afford. Nurseries were warning that there was a huge shortfall in funding and they didn't understand how they were going to cover the costs.

Surely the issue is what is the best thing to do now rather than moaning or boasting about how "we" managed in the past. The country, the world, life – and, yes, expectations – are rather different now from when we were mothers of young children. So what works best for families, working people, tax payers, children?

Families with children need all the help they can get - due to the very high cost of housing both parents have to work.

No-one now over the age of 50 couldn't afford to buy a property in their 20s, even on a modest salary - that's impossible nowadays.

Another election promise bites the dust then; again something in the manifesto that almost persuaded me to vote for them. Shameful imo .

Maybe it shouldnt be state funding - perhaps employers - who need parents to work - should make more of a financial or practical contribution. I toofeel that long hours in not always verygood nurseries is not necessarily the best thing for very young children but many families canhardly get by on two full time salaries, and cutting hours is not doable. It is not always easy for parents, especially men, to negotiate flexible or reduced hours.

I didnt get any help with childcare either but I wouldnt wish that on my own children. Would we think it acceptable for someone who lived during pre-NHS times to say "I didnt have state health care so why should my children or anyone else"? I'm still of the opinion that in the 60s and 70s the essentials of life were more affordable - food, housing, energy, travel, etc. My husband was a student nurse when we had our first child and I didnt work for several months afterwars and even then only intermittently with agencies for a while. But we never went without food or heating even on a very low income. I dont think that would be possible these days.

Just my opinion.

Wow - no judgements there then rascal?

Still Dizee Rascal?

Well I feel there should be no government help for families! There is no excuse two children are enough! They all want bigger houses, more than one fancy car, the most up to date gadgets, all the latest fashion, the latest furniture etc to keep up with the neighbours and not forgetting the foreign holidays! So two parents have to work to keep up with all this! So where are the young children, being cared for by people other than their parents!

When we were growing up it was frowned upon if a Mother went out to work. She stayed at home to look after the children and the house, make nutritious meals, no unhealthy ready meals then! The meal was always on the table when Father returned from work. There was certainly no hand outs from the government.

We never went on foreign holidays, never had a car and we never kept up with the neighbours. We were a happy healthy family and had to make do and mend.

I would imagine lots of people voted the government in for the reason that they supported childcare, among others. I would imagine that swayed quite a few swing voters.
The OP is about the government changing its stance, in less than 100 days in government. I do not see that as whingeing.
And, as I said earlier, and Iam says, we expect things to have got better for our children, normally.

I'm against polarisation. Its not a matter of working vs not working. My concern is relying on state funding or the expectation of it then blaming the govt for their not being able to work. My comment re whingeing was regarding the OP and others who blame the govt for everything!

I don't know any whinging young mums - do I live in a different world? Some parents have always whinged and some parents always will whinge. Same with judgemental attitudes towards working/stay at home mums. I'd hoped that by the time my children reached their 30's attitudes about working/not working and child care provision would have improved. Sadly it seems that isn't the case.