0:00:02 > 0:00:06Parents struggling to cope with the rising cost of childcare. It is a
0:00:06 > 0:00:09real financial burden. I think that the pressure for us as a family is
0:00:09 > 0:00:11immense. Local nurseries are is hitting
0:00:12 > 0:00:16their doors. Now I've been kicked in the teeth.
0:00:16 > 0:00:20It's been taken away from me. Women are feeling squeezed out of
0:00:20 > 0:00:25the workplace. That is how it feels. You think
0:00:25 > 0:00:30would I be better off not working? Families moving abroad in search of
0:00:30 > 0:00:33a better deal. It gives us a better life, more
0:00:33 > 0:00:37flexibility, more money in our pockets.
0:00:37 > 0:00:42And the parents taking matters into their own hands.
0:00:42 > 0:00:52We want the best for our children. Tonight on Panorama, how much
0:00:52 > 0:01:00
0:01:00 > 0:01:04longer can families afford the high Morning, time.
0:01:04 > 0:01:08It's an early rise for the Porter family in Leicestershire.
0:01:08 > 0:01:13Come on, then. Claire and her husband, Richard,
0:01:13 > 0:01:23both work full-time. The family has to be up, dressed and out of the
0:01:23 > 0:01:30
0:01:30 > 0:01:36Are we going the right way? We are, we are going to Karen's, aren't we?
0:01:36 > 0:01:39Claire has a couple of stops to make on the way to work. First, the
0:01:39 > 0:01:46childminder who takes five-year-old Charlie to school.
0:01:46 > 0:01:52Ready? There we go. Then the local nursery where her
0:01:52 > 0:01:56daughter, Sienna spends the day. She's been up since 5.40am. So she
0:01:56 > 0:02:01will be tired. Flexible childcare like this can be
0:02:01 > 0:02:11hard to find. It is not cheap. It costs the porer, �750 a month. That
0:02:11 > 0:02:20
0:02:20 > 0:02:25is as much as their mortgage. Claire is a specialist nurse in the
0:02:25 > 0:02:30burns unit at Leicester Royal Infirmry. The hospital is in one of
0:02:30 > 0:02:34the busiest NHS Trusts in the UK. It is a major local employer.
0:02:34 > 0:02:39More than 9,000 women work here. That is nearly eight in ten of the
0:02:39 > 0:02:43staff. Women are at the heart of
0:02:43 > 0:02:46Leicester's hospitals, so, reliable childcare is vital. Without it,
0:02:46 > 0:02:52Claire could not work her long shifts.
0:02:52 > 0:02:56But the cost is a constant worry. It's a real financial burden.
0:02:56 > 0:02:59Things are tight. We have to budget to enable us to pay our childcare
0:02:59 > 0:03:03fees. Do you feel you are being squeezed
0:03:04 > 0:03:10as a family? Definitely, yes. The pressure for us as a family is
0:03:10 > 0:03:15immense. Thousands of pairts are cared for
0:03:15 > 0:03:20by the Trust's three hospitals -- patients. They rely on working mims,
0:03:20 > 0:03:24like Paula Vaughan. She is a surgical manager. Though she gets
0:03:24 > 0:03:31financial help, the fees to keep her two children in nursery full-
0:03:31 > 0:03:34time are eye-watering. At the moment I am being charged
0:03:34 > 0:03:39about �1,350 a month. That is a lot of money.
0:03:40 > 0:03:48It is a lot. I am not left with a lot out of my salary. Across the
0:03:48 > 0:03:53Trust it is a similar story, Sarah Turner is coordinating the
0:03:53 > 0:03:58aneasthetists. I hardly take home any pay. The
0:03:58 > 0:04:01childcare is about three quarters. Alison French works nights on the
0:04:01 > 0:04:05gynaecology ward. We would like another child, but
0:04:05 > 0:04:08cannot afford it because of the childcare costs.
0:04:08 > 0:04:14Louise Gibson relies on the grandparents to look after the kids
0:04:14 > 0:04:20when she is nursing heart pairbts. I'm working so hard. That is how it
0:04:20 > 0:04:24feels -- patients. You think would I be better off not working?
0:04:24 > 0:04:29Leicester's hospitals would grind to a halt without the working mums.
0:04:30 > 0:04:34Government spending on childcare in the UK is actually higher than in
0:04:35 > 0:04:38other developed countries. Even so, parents spend more than a quarter
0:04:38 > 0:04:43of their pay on childcare costs. That is more than anywhere else in
0:04:43 > 0:04:48the world. That amount is rising. We have been given access to the
0:04:48 > 0:04:53annual survey of childcare costs, carried out by the chaift, the The
0:04:53 > 0:04:57Daycare Trust. What the results reveal is that last year many
0:04:57 > 0:05:03parents faced above-inflation increases for fees in nurseries and
0:05:03 > 0:05:07child minders at a time when wages are remaining stagnant.
0:05:07 > 0:05:12In England, the nursery fees rose significantly last year. For a
0:05:12 > 0:05:17child under two, on average, parents are to pay about �340 more
0:05:17 > 0:05:22than the previous year for a part- time place. Scotland saw a modest
0:05:22 > 0:05:27rise, about �100 a year, but it already has some of the highest
0:05:27 > 0:05:33childcare costs in the UK. Nursery fees in Wales rose by an
0:05:33 > 0:05:39average of �78 a year. The average cost is pretty much now
0:05:39 > 0:05:43�100 a week for a two-year-old who gets 25 hours of nursery care. So
0:05:43 > 0:05:49�100 that works out for a week over �5,000 a year.
0:05:49 > 0:05:53That is a lot of money. It is not even a full-time place? No. That is
0:05:54 > 0:05:58just the average amount. So a lot of parents are actually paying a
0:05:58 > 0:06:03lot more for their childcare. And families in the East Midlands
0:06:04 > 0:06:07have been hit with some of the steepest rises of all. Nursery fees
0:06:07 > 0:06:10here increased by about 10% last year.
0:06:10 > 0:06:15We sent out a questionnaire to staff at Leicester's three
0:06:15 > 0:06:19hospitals to see how they are being affected.
0:06:19 > 0:06:26Of the 400 parents that replied, half of them said that the cost of
0:06:26 > 0:06:30childcare made them consider giving up work all together.
0:06:30 > 0:06:35Even more said that they had changed the hours that they work to
0:06:35 > 0:06:40minimise the costs. Mums like Claire question what real
0:06:40 > 0:06:44incentive there is for them to work. I could give up my job. I could
0:06:44 > 0:06:49receive benefits off the state. I could not work. I could look after
0:06:49 > 0:06:54my children at home, but for me as a professional working mum in my
0:06:54 > 0:07:00life I want to provide more for my children. My career is important to
0:07:00 > 0:07:06me. I love it. That is not an option. I love my job. I know that
0:07:07 > 0:07:12I do a good job. I don't have to be just a mummy. I am also a business
0:07:12 > 0:07:17manager, it seems a waste of skill to not do both.
0:07:17 > 0:07:22If women like Paula and Claire are squeeze from the workplace, it is
0:07:22 > 0:07:27not just them that will feel the effects. With a mostly female
0:07:27 > 0:07:30workforce, a future without working mums would be unthinkable here.
0:07:30 > 0:07:34Working parents are a very important part of our work. They
0:07:34 > 0:07:39are some of our most experienced staff. We could not deliver the
0:07:39 > 0:07:42services that we do and function, really, if that significant
0:07:42 > 0:07:51proportion of our workforce did not choose to come back to work. It
0:07:51 > 0:07:57would be incredibly difficult for So, across the UK why does
0:07:57 > 0:08:05childcare costs come so much money? Andrea Webster has been running her
0:08:05 > 0:08:13own nursery near Leeds for 18 years. Do you like potatoes? Yes! Do you
0:08:13 > 0:08:20like jacket potatoes? Yes! What do you have on them? Cheese and beans?
0:08:20 > 0:08:25She charges �41 for a child of two. Not cheap, but it is not lucrative
0:08:25 > 0:08:30for Andrea, either. Do you do it for the money? No, I
0:08:30 > 0:08:34don't! The most expensive thing is the staffing. If you want to
0:08:34 > 0:08:41provide quality childcare then you have to pay for quality staff.
0:08:41 > 0:08:45So, staff is �27 out of the �41 you charge? Yes.
0:08:46 > 0:08:48That is hefty, isn't it? It is, and that is just the staff that are in
0:08:48 > 0:08:53the room actually looking after the children.
0:08:53 > 0:08:58Staff these days are better trained and nurseries are more regulated
0:08:58 > 0:09:03than when Andrea first opened the doors here, but that has pushed up
0:09:03 > 0:09:06the overheads. There is a huge burden
0:09:06 > 0:09:10administratively within the nursery. It has to take the decision whether
0:09:10 > 0:09:14or not to take the staff away from the children to cope with that or
0:09:14 > 0:09:18whether we employ extra staff to free the staff up to do that. We
0:09:18 > 0:09:24don't take the staff away from the children here. Obviously, that then
0:09:24 > 0:09:28increases the cost to the parent. As childcare bills are going up,
0:09:28 > 0:09:33for many, Government help to pay them is going down.
0:09:33 > 0:09:39Working parents can claim a small tax break on costs by using
0:09:39 > 0:09:42childcare vouchers, but the value has not risen in six years.
0:09:42 > 0:09:47And lowering income families have been hit hard by a cut in the
0:09:47 > 0:09:50amount that they can claim back for childcare through working tax
0:09:50 > 0:09:54credits. The average loss for working
0:09:54 > 0:09:57families has been something like �500 over a year. At the time when
0:09:57 > 0:10:02the budgets are squeezed because of what is happening in the wider
0:10:02 > 0:10:06economy, in terms of inflation, so on, this is a real challenge for
0:10:06 > 0:10:09the parents. It is not just working mums feeling
0:10:09 > 0:10:16the squeeze. Look at the stars and the moons.
0:10:16 > 0:10:20There is a star there. And a moon... With three boys under five, living
0:10:20 > 0:10:24on benefits is not easy. Toni Willmott wants to get a job, but to
0:10:25 > 0:10:30do it she needs good, local childcare.
0:10:30 > 0:10:37My boys are everything to me. I would not leave them with anybody.
0:10:37 > 0:10:42Her two older sons had free places at the local council-run nursery,
0:10:42 > 0:10:46five minute walk from their home in West Yorkshire, but the Wakefield
0:10:46 > 0:10:52council says that they cannot afford to keep it open anymore,
0:10:52 > 0:10:56just as she hoped that her son, Levi was to start there.
0:10:56 > 0:11:00As far as I was concerned he was going there. Now I've been kicked
0:11:00 > 0:11:06in the teeth, it's been taken away from me.
0:11:06 > 0:11:10You have to look at reflecting on the person skills... Toni was
0:11:10 > 0:11:14relying on the local nursery to help to get her off benefits. She's
0:11:14 > 0:11:20been training two afternoons a week for a childcare qualification. She
0:11:20 > 0:11:25was hoping to up her hours, but now she may through in the towel.
0:11:25 > 0:11:29I am loving doing the childcare course. I absolutely love it, but I
0:11:29 > 0:11:35will have to knock it on the head if I can't get him into a nursery.
0:11:35 > 0:11:40There is nothing that I can do. I am not happy about it at all.
0:11:40 > 0:11:44The nearest private nursery is full with a six-month waiting list.
0:11:44 > 0:11:48The council has suggested alternatives, but the closest means
0:11:48 > 0:11:55an hour's round trip. They would have to catch two buses just to get
0:11:55 > 0:12:02him there for a short nursery session.
0:12:02 > 0:12:08As Toni and Levi showed me... half an hour.
0:12:08 > 0:12:14And you have get to work after that and have to get back again? Yes.
0:12:14 > 0:12:19So it is hardly worth it? As every parent knows, toddlers are
0:12:19 > 0:12:24not always the best travellers. This is what he does every time he
0:12:24 > 0:12:29gets on the bus. He is not that keen on the bus
0:12:29 > 0:12:35journey? He doesn't like it. He wants to get out. Then he wants to
0:12:35 > 0:12:41run up around down the bus. You are happy with your freedom?! Toni is
0:12:41 > 0:12:44not the only mum who might struggle. Thank you very much.
0:12:44 > 0:12:50Wakefield Council plans to close another two nurseries as all three
0:12:50 > 0:12:56are losing money. And because of budget cuts from
0:12:56 > 0:13:01central Government, the council has to find massive savings.
0:13:01 > 0:13:05It is unfortunate. It is something that I would rather not be doing,
0:13:05 > 0:13:10but this council is faced with a difficult dilemma over how it
0:13:10 > 0:13:14spends its money. The nurseries have never been sustainable. We
0:13:14 > 0:13:22have now no option because of the difficulties that the council is
0:13:22 > 0:13:25facing with its budget. But one group of mums is fighting
0:13:25 > 0:13:31back. Even if it means that they have to run their nursery
0:13:31 > 0:13:35themselves. So, there we have to put what is
0:13:35 > 0:13:43happening with the nursery. What the cuts are, what the council are
0:13:43 > 0:13:48going to do. Petrol expenses? Fuel expenses, then? Their nursery in
0:13:48 > 0:13:51Pontefract is cheaper than others locally, but it is one of the three
0:13:51 > 0:13:56facing closure. The council has offered the parents and the staff
0:13:56 > 0:14:00the chance to take it over. They've been given three months to draw up
0:14:00 > 0:14:05a business plan. We are here with young children,
0:14:05 > 0:14:09working, some would say you are mad for think being runs the nursery?
0:14:09 > 0:14:13We have no choice. You summit the proposal or there is closure. We
0:14:13 > 0:14:19are passionate about the fact we don't want to uproot our children,
0:14:19 > 0:14:23for them to be relocated. I think we want the best for our children.
0:14:23 > 0:14:26How important is the nursery to you? We have built up relationships
0:14:26 > 0:14:29with the nursery over the last four years from other children going
0:14:29 > 0:14:34there. We think it is important that it is kept in the community.
0:14:34 > 0:14:37It is needed. But the mums face an uphill
0:14:37 > 0:14:40struggle. Uncertainty over the nursery's future has led to half of
0:14:40 > 0:14:50the parents taking their children elsewhere.
0:14:50 > 0:14:53It's a race against time to keep it It has not been easy. You come home
0:14:53 > 0:14:57from work and all of a sudden you are researching things like
0:14:57 > 0:15:01employment law. It has been a constant headache. It is affecting
0:15:01 > 0:15:05my home life. I suppose this might be the Big Society that David
0:15:05 > 0:15:09Cameron is talking about, that you start running things for yourself.
0:15:09 > 0:15:13Which is ideal if we'll have the background in it, but we haven't.
0:15:13 > 0:15:18By law, councils in England and Wales must try to make sure they
0:15:18 > 0:15:22are enough local childcare places to allow parents to work or finds
0:15:22 > 0:15:30training. But if the nursery closures go ahead, many will be
0:15:30 > 0:15:35left in the lurch. They want local nurseries. There might be an issue
0:15:35 > 0:15:39about local nurseries, but there is potentially sufficient alternative
0:15:39 > 0:15:44provision. That might come down to a choice between a child minder or
0:15:44 > 0:15:47a nursery. If you are only offering a childminder, it is not a choice.
0:15:47 > 0:15:53There will be nurseries, but it might entail the parent having to
0:15:53 > 0:15:57travel and I accept that, and that might be difficult. Across Britain,
0:15:57 > 0:16:03most councils are not providing the sort of child care working parents
0:16:03 > 0:16:08need. The Daycare Trust's survey indicates that in England, of the
0:16:08 > 0:16:12councils that responded, only 46% said there was enough local child
0:16:12 > 0:16:18care for parents to work full-time. In Scotland, the figure was only
0:16:18 > 0:16:2221%. In Wales, just 17% of councils that responded said there were
0:16:22 > 0:16:26enough places locally for parents working full-time. It is time that
0:16:26 > 0:16:31councils started to get serious about meeting the legal duties that
0:16:31 > 0:16:35they have had to meet for the last five or six years. Are you worried
0:16:35 > 0:16:38in England and Wales that there is a statutory duty, that they are
0:16:39 > 0:16:45failing in their legal duty to provide the right sort of child
0:16:45 > 0:16:50care? Yes, they are. So, child care is expensive and can be hard to
0:16:50 > 0:16:55find. But now, the government has a big expansion plans. Those three or
0:16:55 > 0:17:00four year-olds across the UK are already entitled to a free pre-
0:17:00 > 0:17:04school place -- most three or four year-olds. That will be extended in
0:17:04 > 0:17:10England to even younger children. Education, early years learning,
0:17:10 > 0:17:13this is how you change the life chances of our least well off and
0:17:13 > 0:17:17genuinely live children out of poverty. More than a quarter of a
0:17:17 > 0:17:23million two-year-olds stand to benefit. Third but with so many
0:17:23 > 0:17:28extra children needing places, will there be enough to go round? At the
0:17:28 > 0:17:33moment, we have a short ball around 100,000 places. Up and down the
0:17:33 > 0:17:38country, -- a short ball. Providers tell me they will fill existing
0:17:38 > 0:17:43vacancies but warned last -- not invest a single penny integration -
0:17:43 > 0:17:47- creating new places and that has the chance of scuppering a well-
0:17:47 > 0:17:51intentioned programme. It can't really be done? I think it can but
0:17:51 > 0:17:56I recognise it is very challenging. How are you going to magic up
0:17:56 > 0:18:01100,000 places? In lots of areas, nurseries are under capacity. There
0:18:01 > 0:18:04are spare places around. The challenge for us is making sure we
0:18:04 > 0:18:10get the places in the areas where there are the most two-year-olds
0:18:10 > 0:18:13from the poorest families. That is not the only challenge. The aim to
0:18:13 > 0:18:19live children out of poverty by extending free child care depends
0:18:19 > 0:18:22on the quality of the nurseries and childminders. As far as a parent is
0:18:22 > 0:18:28concerned, the quality measure is the inspection report produced by
0:18:28 > 0:18:34OFSTED. The research clearly indicates that two-year-olds
0:18:34 > 0:18:44definitely do better where there is a good and outstanding report on
0:18:44 > 0:18:50the nursery. Right, dinner-time! is to year-olds like Levi will not
0:18:50 > 0:18:56in Wakefield who should benefit from this new free childcare. His
0:18:56 > 0:19:04nursery is rated good by school inspectors. In Wakefield, nearly
0:19:04 > 0:19:0940% of child minder providers don't currently reach that's done that.
0:19:09 > 0:19:14You know yourself, in disadvantaged areas, they are more likely to have
0:19:14 > 0:19:17nurseries of a lower standard. is a very hard task, I accept that.
0:19:17 > 0:19:21Going forward, have a nursery is judged to be satisfactory through
0:19:21 > 0:19:25OFSTED, they need to make sure they have a high quality staff in their
0:19:25 > 0:19:32nursery, or that they are part of a training scheme working with local
0:19:32 > 0:19:36authorities to improve their quality. So, the help you get for
0:19:36 > 0:19:46child care can depend on how much you earn, where you live and the
0:19:46 > 0:19:46
0:19:46 > 0:19:50On a modest income, this couple were paying more than �400 a month,
0:19:50 > 0:20:00just for a part-time nursery place in Huddersfield for their daughter,
0:20:00 > 0:20:01
0:20:01 > 0:20:08It was shocking, the cost of it was shocking. It shows a complete
0:20:08 > 0:20:16disregard for working families with small kids. Two years ago, they
0:20:16 > 0:20:26decided to move somewhere with a different approach to childcare.
0:20:26 > 0:20:31
0:20:31 > 0:20:35Here, to Knut's home country of It was generally, people in Norway
0:20:35 > 0:20:41having children and telling us about a different way of life. They
0:20:41 > 0:20:45are shocked that we would pay the same amount for three days a week
0:20:45 > 0:20:54for Thea, in the UK but there that they pay for two children to go
0:20:54 > 0:20:58full-time to a nursery. -- that they pay. Every morning, Lisa takes
0:20:58 > 0:21:084-year-old Thea attached -- to the nursery attached to the university
0:21:08 > 0:21:10
0:21:10 > 0:21:20A full-time place here costs parents much less than it would in
0:21:20 > 0:21:22
0:21:22 > 0:21:26Parents get a pretty good deal here. From the age of one, all children
0:21:26 > 0:21:30are legally entitled to a nursery place full time. Of course, parents
0:21:30 > 0:21:35don't have to take them up on it, but if they do, it is heavily
0:21:35 > 0:21:42subsidised by the state and the price is capped, so even those on
0:21:42 > 0:21:48highest incomes never pay more than �250 a month. More women work here
0:21:48 > 0:21:55than in Britain, and the Norwegians take it for granted that they have
0:21:55 > 0:22:00affordable childcare available to everyone. It is very important,
0:22:00 > 0:22:05because it gives all children of all families the same right and the
0:22:05 > 0:22:09same possibility to have a nursery place. And that is a good start for
0:22:09 > 0:22:17the children, and it is also a good possibility for the women and the
0:22:17 > 0:22:22family. Thea's nursery opens early, so parents can drop their kids off
0:22:22 > 0:22:32on the way to work. There is even a sleep over once a month so parents
0:22:32 > 0:22:35
0:22:35 > 0:22:40For the children, there is a big emphasis on the outdoors, and
0:22:40 > 0:22:50learning to do things for themselves. Under the careful
0:22:50 > 0:22:54supervision of the teachers, of In terms of child care, do you
0:22:54 > 0:22:59think you have made the right decision? Definitely made the right
0:22:59 > 0:23:07decision. It has given us a better family life, more flexibility, more
0:23:07 > 0:23:12money in a pocket. -- in our pocket. This sort of child care has to be
0:23:12 > 0:23:16paid for, though. Norway's population is relatively small. It
0:23:16 > 0:23:21is wealthy because of oil and income tax and VAT are higher than
0:23:21 > 0:23:26in the UK. Don't people here mind paying more tax? In general, I
0:23:26 > 0:23:33don't think they do. Even though they might say, I wish I paid less
0:23:33 > 0:23:37tax. It is a bit like, everybody gets something that, one way or
0:23:37 > 0:23:42another. You don't find people without children saying, why should
0:23:42 > 0:23:49I pay for your children to have cheap childcare? No, I don't.
0:23:49 > 0:23:54Simple as that. In the UK, you would. It is estimated it would
0:23:54 > 0:23:57cost around �7 billion to set up a Norwegian style system of childcare
0:23:57 > 0:24:05in the UK. The Daycare Trust believes it would eventually pay
0:24:05 > 0:24:09for itself, as more women work and pay tax. Places like Norway have
0:24:09 > 0:24:13been investing in child care for 30 years or more, for a generation. I
0:24:13 > 0:24:20see no reason why, if you have sufficient political will and
0:24:20 > 0:24:24sufficient funding, or that we cannot get to a policy of child
0:24:24 > 0:24:28care within the next decade. would British taxpayers stomach the
0:24:29 > 0:24:33hefty set-up costs? Back in Leicester, we asked staff at the
0:24:33 > 0:24:36hospital trust what they thought. The results are not scientific, but
0:24:36 > 0:24:41of the almost 800 staff who responded, there was strong backing
0:24:41 > 0:24:48for more government spending on a child care. Unsurprisingly, not
0:24:48 > 0:24:52just from staff with young children. -- and surprisingly. In these times,
0:24:52 > 0:24:59there is little prospect of billions being invested to match
0:24:59 > 0:25:03Unfortunately, in the immediate future, with the public spending
0:25:03 > 0:25:08cuts going on, it does not seem like will be unobtainable goal for
0:25:08 > 0:25:15this foreseeable future. -- does not seem it will be an odd
0:25:15 > 0:25:19attainable goal. A controversial idea is to offer a loan of up to
0:25:19 > 0:25:24�10,000 which parents would then pay back through their wages.
0:25:24 > 0:25:28rather like a loan, it is also a bit like a tax. You don't pay if
0:25:28 > 0:25:33you don't earn, and if you haven't repaid because you haven't earned
0:25:33 > 0:25:37enough money to do so, the debt is forgotten. The think tank's own
0:25:37 > 0:25:41research suggests the majority of parents with young kids thought it
0:25:41 > 0:25:45was a good idea. There was less enthusiasm among the mothers we
0:25:45 > 0:25:50spoke to. That would be worrying to our family, to always be in debt to
0:25:50 > 0:25:54the government. Having student loans, have paid those of now. I
0:25:54 > 0:25:58don't want to be taking out more child care loans that I am going to
0:25:58 > 0:26:04be paying off. Some in the childcare business are even less
0:26:04 > 0:26:08polite about the idea. I confess, I was absolutely astonished when I
0:26:08 > 0:26:12saw the proposals. Here we are, in the middle of the toughest economic
0:26:12 > 0:26:17environment but we have seen in a lifetime, predominantly caused by
0:26:17 > 0:26:21poor lending practices, and we have a proposal to lend the most
0:26:21 > 0:26:27vulnerable and disadvantaged families out there more money, and
0:26:27 > 0:26:32put them further in debt. Back in West Yorkshire, the problem is more
0:26:32 > 0:26:36pressing. I don't think we are mad. We want the best for our children.
0:26:37 > 0:26:43If the mother's we met here can't find a way quickly to keep their
0:26:43 > 0:26:48nursery open, or they may soon have known nursery at all. Tonight is a
0:26:48 > 0:26:55big night. The parents have called a meeting about the planned closure
0:26:55 > 0:26:59of the nursery and two others. There is some unexpected news. They
0:26:59 > 0:27:05are told the council has agreed to delay closing the nurseries for six
0:27:05 > 0:27:09months. It is down to the way we have -- the work we have put in and
0:27:09 > 0:27:12the stamping we have done, and telling them it is not right. It is
0:27:12 > 0:27:19the first piece of progress we have got, and it is brilliant. I feel
0:27:19 > 0:27:23great. A bit overwhelming, I am really happy. At least I will not
0:27:23 > 0:27:28have to think, where am I going to put my trialled? At least I can
0:27:28 > 0:27:33tell work that I can continue to work -- going to put my child.
0:27:33 > 0:27:42There is still a lot to do and the nursery's long-term future is by no
0:27:42 > 0:27:47means certain, but the relief is a sign of how much parents value
0:27:47 > 0:27:50affordable childcare. It is a powerful message to politicians who
0:27:50 > 0:27:54claim they are serious about helping women work and giving
0:27:54 > 0:27:59children the best possible start in life.