Speaking at the Daycare Trust's annual conference in the capital, Ken Livingstone said the lack of affordable, good-quality childcare was 'a major barrier to taking families out of poverty and providing them with the skills, education and training needed in London's employment market'.
He said, 'Many women in London are trapped in this situation because of the high cost of living and childcare in London, which means that Government policies which work in the rest of the country have less impact here.'
The mayor claimed that if the national minimum wage was to reflect how much more expensive it was to live in London than other parts of the country it would need to be raised to 7.76 an hour rather than the present rate of 4.50. He also said there needed to be more childcare provision for black and ethnic minorities - 41 per cent of children in London were from these groups, as were 40 per cent of lone parents, compared with less than 10 per cent of lone parents nationally.
Register now to continue reading
Thank you for visiting Nursery World and making use of our archive of more than 35,000 expert features, subject guides, case studies and policy updates. Why not register today and enjoy the following great benefits:
What's included
-
Free access to 4 subscriber-only articles per month
-
Unlimited access to news and opinion
-
Email newsletter providing activity ideas, best practice and breaking news
Already have an account? Sign in here
