The chancellor George Osborne has used his autumn statement to forge ahead with plans to take away support with childcare costs for those on the lowest income.
UNISON has condemned this move as a “missed opportunity.”
National women’s officer Sharon Greene said: “Papers are awash with stories about the escalating costs of childcare in Britain. We were therefore hopeful that chancellor George Osborne would use his autumn statement to pledge an increase in funding for childcare support for low-income families.
“But, this time, he missed that opportunity.
“Instead, he has forged ahead with plans to give parents on the lowest incomes less support with childcare costs than those who are earning enough to pay income tax.
“We think this is unfair.”
UNISON is working with Gingerbread, the charity for single parent families, to call on the government to extend childcare support so that all parents on universal credit will have 85% of their childcare costs paid for, once the new welfare system is introduced.
This call forms part of Gingerbread’s wider campaign, Make it Work, which aims to ensure that single parents across Britain have access to decent jobs that allow them to balance their childcare responsibilities and provide for their families.
Ms Greene continued: “With our members’ support, we can play a big role in achieving this goal by putting pressure on the chancellor to increase childcare support for low-income families.”
What can you do to help?
It’s vital that the government continues to hear real stories of why childcare investment would make a real difference. Please tell us just why childcare matters to you by taking one (or more) of the following actions:
- Share this image on facebook with a comment explaining what increased financial support with childcare would mean to you.
- Leave us a comment on this webpage telling us what difference childcare makes to your life.
- Add our ‘childcare matters’ twibbon to your twitter or facebook account.
Stay tuned for updates on the campaigns progress and for further details on how you can help extend childcare support to low-income families.
