Caroline Pidgeon successfully proposed a motion in the London Assembly callingfor the Greater London Authority (GLA) to lead the way in reducing the barriers that prevent people from returning to the workplace, especially childcare costs.
Caroline said:
“At present registration fees and one month’s deposit to secure a nursery place can result in parents facing over £1,000 before they have even returned to work. These costs can provide a real deterrent to parents, and particularly mothers, who are considering returning to work.
"At a time when London businesses are crying out for skilled workers to fill their vacancies we must find ways to remove any barriers for parents returning to work. It is time the Mayor provided an example to London employers by introducing a loan scheme to help Greater London Authority staff with the initial costs of childcare registration.
"If the initiative was rolled out across London it could make a dramatic change in the opportunities for working parents.”
The motion in full reads:
This Assembly notes that the cost of childcare is one of the most serious issues facing Londoners. With many nurseries charging a registration fee and expecting one month’s fees in advance, a parent starting a child at nursery fulltime can expect to pay over £1,200 before they even begin. These initial costs alone can prevent parents from being able to return to work.
This Assembly believes that the GLA should set an example in its role as an employer and that greater efforts should be made to adopt family friendly employment practices, such as offering more part-time and flexible roles, to ensure that the barriers that many parents face upon returning to the workplace are reduced. The Mayor would then be in a position to lobby London businesses to make every effort to assist parents within their workforce, pointing to the GLA as a model of best practice.
This Assembly further notes that loan schemes already exist for GLA staff for tenancy deposits, travel season tickets, bicycle purchase and gym membership as part of the wider package of staff benefits yet there is no help for parents with the initial costs of childcare.
This Assembly therefore calls on the Mayor to establish a loan scheme to help GLA staff with initial costs of childcare registration up to the value of £1,500 and encourage the rest of the GLA group and other city employers to take similar steps to ensure they fully support employees with caring responsibilities.