Highest childcare costs in NI

By The Newsroom
Published 20th Jun 2019, 10:22 BST
Updated 20th Jun 2019, 11:22 BST
DUP MLA Jonathan Buckley with a representative from Employers for ChildcareDUP MLA Jonathan Buckley with a representative from Employers for Childcare
DUP MLA Jonathan Buckley with a representative from Employers for Childcare
Childcare costs in Co Armagh are the highest in Northern Ireland, prompting an Upper Bann MLA to brand the situation ‘unacceptable’.

DUP MLA Jonathan Buckley spoke of his disappointment at the lack of progress in Northern Ireland to produce a childcare strategy.

He was speaking after the Northern Ireland Childcare Survey 2019, commissioned by Employers for Childcare, revealed that Childcare costs in Co Armagh were the highest in Northern Ireland.

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The survey revealed the average cost of full time childcare as £8,632 per year, with County Armagh the highest average cost in NI for the fourth consecutive year with an overall average of £173 per week. Employers For Childcare reports that two in five households in NI are using means other than their income – such as savings, credit cards, even payday loans – to cover the cost of their childcare bill. In lone parent households, this rises to 51%.