Thousands of Cumbrian families will get help with childcare costs - Farron
A major tax-free childcare package will help 13,140 families in Cumbria, South Lakes MP Tim Farron has said today.
Working families will get up to £2,000 to ease the cost of childcare as part of a scheme to be rolled out in Autumn 2015.
It means a family with two children under 12-years-old could benefit by up to £4,000 a year. In our area the number of families eligible for support paying for childcare is estimated to be:
- Cumbria 13,140
- Allerdale 2,560
- Barrow-in-Furness 1,970
- Carlisle 2,990
- Copeland 1,930
- Eden 1,300
- South Lakeland 2,400
Britain has some of the most expensive childcare costs in the world - with fees rising at more than twice the rate of inflation, according to the Daycare Trust. Supporting young people has been a major campaign of Tim's. Over the last two years Tim helped secure 5600 free early years education places for the poorest Cumbrian children and extra funding for catch up classes for 10 and 11 year olds.
Tim said: "The announcement provides a huge boost to hardworking families in Cumbria. As a dad I know how hard it can be to juggle work and family life. I have consistently called on senior government ministers to do more to make childcare affordable and available to everyone. Parents I speak to across our area have told me that this was a major issue for them.
"It comes on top of 15 hours free weekly childcare we have already delivered for all three and four year olds and pupil premium to help our schools.
"All these measures will help parents go to work and provide security for their families."