Childcare access: a postcode lottery

Childcare is expensive - especially over the summer period, when the kids are off school and need looking after while you’re at work.

While you can get financial help with childcare if you’re struggling to afford it, that’s only useful if you can actually find it.

But whether you have access to childcare depends on where you live, according to new analysis by the Office for National Statistics (ONS) and Ofsted.

Better access in rich areas

Families in wealthy areas like St Albans and Cambridge have the best access to childcare, the research shows. On the other hand, there are much fewer childcare places in areas with more low-income households like Hartlepool, Sunderland and Walsall.

On top of this, the analysis found that neighbourhoods with higher levels of child poverty generally have less access to childcare providers.

Check what childcare is available near you.

Link between childcare access and qualifications

There are more childcare services in areas where women have higher qualifications.

Of the ten areas with the best access to childcare, nine are also in the top 10% of places with the highest number of women with higher education qualifications.

In contrast, the ten neighbourhoods with the lowest access to childcare were among the lowest 30% for proportions of highly qualified mothers.

This is significant because women spend about three hours and 37 minutes every day doing housework and caring for children, which is 54 minutes more than the average man spends on those activities.

So it’s especially important for women who want to increase their working hours or enter the labour market to have options to look after their children. But the lack of childcare can force them to stay at home, which limits their opportunities for work and reduces their income.

Consistent access to childcare

Numerous studies have shown high-quality care is crucial for children's development and wellbeing, especially in their earliest years.

Campaigners claim the childcare shortage is an urgent issue that requires a comprehensive approach to increase the number of childcare providers available, particularly in lower-income areas.

They’re calling on the new government to make it a priority for every family to have affordable childminding options near them. They say this would help tackle the record levels of child poverty across the country. It would also prevent parents falling deeper into poverty because they aren’t able to return to work.

Childcare & debt

Recent figures by charity Pregnant then Screwed show the number of parents going into debt because of the cost or lack of availability of childcare went up by a third in the year to February 2024.

A third of mothers can’t return to work full-time because they can’t afford to pay for childcare or there aren’t enough childcare services near them.

If you’re having to borrow money to look after your child, we can give you free debt advice online or you can give us a ring.

We also offer free budgeting help, advice on your benefit entitlement and information on debt solutions.

All advice is free and impartial. Some debt solutions are also free, some have a fee.