by Bill Heaney
Anas Sarwar will today announce plans to boost tax-free childcare for Scottish parents, putting more money back into family budgets and helping with one of the biggest costs facing working families.
Childcare is one of the biggest outgoings facing working families, yet too many parents get too little help with the costs.
Scottish Labour will add an extra £1 for every £8 parents pay into the UK Government’s Tax-Free Childcare scheme, boosting the discount parents get from 25 per cent to 37.5 per cent.
Under the plan, for every £80 parents pay in, they would get £20 from the UK Government and £10 from the Scottish Government.
That would increase the annual cap from £2,000 to £3,000 per child, and from £4,000 to £6,000 for disabled children.
This sits alongside Scottish Labour’s plan to provide every primary school-aged child from 5 to 11 with two weeks of fully funded holiday clubs over the summer, helping parents with one of the biggest childcare pressures of the year and making sure children have more opportunities to learn, play and socialise.
The policy will help reduce childcare costs for up to 100,000 families with parents of younger children and school-aged children, while Scottish Labour also works to boost take-up so more families get the support they are already entitled to.
The pressure on parents is clear. In Scotland, 16 per cent of households say they find it difficult or very difficult to afford childcare, and 16 per cent say they spend 10 per cent or more of their monthly income on childcare costs.
Mr Sarwar will say this is another example of SNP broken promises. Parents were told childcare would be more flexible and work for them, but too many still face rising costs, a system that does not fit around working life and too little help from the Scottish Government.
The policy sits alongside wider Scottish Labour plans to improve flexibility in childcare, support childminders, make sure funding follows the child and ensure independent providers get the funding they need to deliver the care families rely on.
Scottish Labour leader Anas Sarwar said: “Scotland needs change after 20 years of SNP government. Too many parents are being hammered by childcare costs, and too many families feel they are working hard but getting nowhere.
“The SNP has had years to fix this, and instead families have been left with broken promises, rising bills and a childcare system that is too often too rigid to fit around work.
“I’m standing to fix the mess, get the basics right, and build a better future for Scotland.
“A Scottish Labour government will add an extra £1 for every £8 parents pay into Tax-Free Childcare, increasing the support families get and helping with the cost of living.
“That will raise the annual cap to £3,000 per child and £4,500 for disabled children, giving parents real help with one of the biggest pressures on the household budget.
“And alongside that, we will provide two weeks of fully funded holiday clubs over the summer for primary school children, helping families with the extra costs they face when school is out.
“This is about making life more affordable, making work pay and building a childcare system that works for working families.
“On May 7, vote Scottish Labour on both votes for the change Scotland needs.”
Artwork by Jane Heaney