North Edinburgh News – Page 685 – The NEN

Landlords plan to expand portfolios in response to growing demand

Handelsbanken research shows half plan to buy over the year ahead as confidence in residential and commercial property demand grows

SME landlords^[1] are planning to expand their portfolios in the year ahead as optimism about residential and commercial property builds despite fears of an economic downturn and the cost of living crisis, new research* from property business experts Handelsbanken shows.

Its nationwide study shows half (49%) of professional landlords – those owning at least four properties – intend to buy more, of which 8% plan to invest in improving the quality of their portfolio, underlining their enduring confidence in bricks and mortar as long-term investment.

Just 7% of landlords expect to sell some or all their portfolio, and a third (35%) are committed to retaining their current properties for the next 12 months.

The first Handelsbanken SME Landlord Survey found 86% of landlords expect a rise in demand for residential property, with nearly two-thirds (63%) confident that commercial property demand will also increase in the next 12 months.

Landlords’ optimism is not being driven by expectations of substantial increases in yields – Handelsbanken’s research shows average yields are only expected to rise by 0.44% over the period, although 89% of landlords questioned do expect an increase.

Instead, their plans to buy more properties are motivated by a desire to diversify their assets across different sectors and regions.

Nearly three-quarters (73%) said their plans to buy are focused on expanding into different parts of the property market – the most attractive are houses (66%), followed by flats (38%), houses of multiple occupation (HMO) (34%) and commercial retail (32%).

Among landlords expanding their portfolios to different parts of the UK, London is seen as the most attractive region (selected by 53%), followed by the East of England (chosen by 40%) and the East Midlands (22%).

More than half (51%) of landlords on the acquisition trail said their reason for buying was simply feeling bullish about the market.

James Sproule, UK Chief Economist, at Handelsbanken said: “Recent house price growth shows how property has shown its resilience against economic doom and gloom and the cost-of-living squeeze.

“Landlords are anticipating that a shortage of rental properties will help keep prices buoyant, particularly as working patterns continue to adjust to the post pandemic world and people seek to move back to big cities, particularly in popular areas such as London, which is also seen to be better placed to ride out the next series of economic challenges and opportunities.

“Landlords went through a tough period following the COVID-19 pandemic, with residential property transactions falling by more than half and business investment contracting. But the sector has survived and is now looking forward.

“The 2022-23 financial year is forecast to see a further softening in residential property transactions as vendors wait for the right buyer rather than accept any perception of loss in value.”

The table below shows how professional landlords rate the attractiveness of regions across the country:

REGION	HOW MANY LANDLORDS THINK IT WILL BE THE MOST ATTRACTIVE OVER THE NEXT 12 MONTHS
London	53%
East of England	40%
East Midlands	22%
Scotland	19%
Northern Ireland	18%
North West	14%
South East	12%
Wales	12%
South West	10%
West Midlands	8%
North East	6%
Yorkshire & The Humber	6%

^[1] Professional landlords with a minimum of four properties in their portfolios. This applies to all references to “landlords” within this release.

Property_Survey_Report Download

4.5.% pay increase for Scotland’s NHS medical and dental staff

NHS medical and dental staff will be awarded a 4.5% pay increase for this year backdated to 1 April 2022. This is for all NHS Scotland medical and dental staff, general medical practitioners and general dental practitioners.

This comes following recommendations by the independent Doctors and Dentists Pay Review Body (DDRB) of an annual pay uplift of 4.5% for NHS medical and dental staff. The Scottish Government has accepted this recommendation.

The Scottish Government, BMA Scotland and other relevant stakeholders all participated and provided evidence to the DDRB to allow them to make their independent recommendations.

This year’s award builds on the 3% uplift that was recommended and applied by the Scottish Government in 2021. This means staff have been awarded a 7.5% pay increase over the last two years – but inflation currently stands at over 9% and rising.

Health Secretary Humza Yousaf said: “The NHS has faced its biggest challenge during the pandemic and staff have been working tirelessly to continue to provide care while under increased pressure.

“The continued hard work and dedication of staff ensures that the people of Scotland continue to receive world class healthcare as we remobilise NHS services and tackle waiting times.

“This uplift demonstrates that we value all our medical and dental staff and the important contribution they make. It’s crucial that we continue to not only recruit and build our future NHS workforce, but also retain expertise within NHS Scotland.

“This announcement means that our senior medical staff will continue to be the best paid in the UK. This will help ensure that NHS Scotland remains an attractive employment option for all medical and dental staff.”

The 4.5% pay uplift will be applied to all NHS medical and dental staffing grades and will be included in salaries with backdated payments to 1 April 2022 to follow as soon as practical.

Scotland’s health union UNISON is balloting 35000 NHS staff across Scotland to recommend they reject the Scottish government’s pay offer and vote to take strike action in the coming months.

The NHS consultative digital ballot closes on 8 August.

UNISON report that their members are angry and feel they are being taken for granted. UNISON say the Scottish government 5% pay offer is well below the rate of inflation – which is 10% – and it is deeply unfair as it will give those at top of the pay bands a pay rise of over £5,000 per year whilst those on the lower pay bands will get nearer £1000 per year.

This ballot is launched in the midst of a staffing crisis in the NHS, staff turnover is higher than ever, waiting lists are at an all time high and the NHS is facing real challenges to recruit.

There are over 6000 nurse vacancies across Scotland. Staff report to UNISON that they are regularly left in wards working with staffing levels below minimum standards. Staff also report they are constantly worried they make mistakes, or fail to deliver basic patient care. The problems were building long before Covid, the pandemic has only exacerbated the issues.

Wilma Brown, chair of the UNISON Scotland health committee said: “NHS staff have been taken for granted, staff have endured over 10 years of real terms pay cuts only to be told by the Scottish Government that, yet again, they will have to accept a below inflation pay rise.

“NHS staff have family bills to pay, food, energy and petrol prices are rocketing. NHS staff are struggling to afford the price of fuel to get them to work. They need more than praise and platitudes from Government, they need a decent pay rise to support their families.

“A 5% pay increase across the board just doesn’t cut it and the Scottish Government need to understand how angry we are. UNISON are urging UNISON members to vote to reject this pay offer and indicate that they will take the very difficult decision to take industrial action, unless of course the Health Minister improves the offer on the table.”

Financial Services Bill to ‘unlock growth and investment’ across the UK

Legislation to enhance the competitiveness of UK financial services and unlock growth and investment across the UK was introduced to Parliament yesterday.

The Financial Services and Markets Bill repeals hundreds of pieces of EU retained law to enable a coherent, agile and internationally respected regime that works in the interests of the British people.

Consumers will be protected through legislation safeguarding access to cash for generations to come and enabling the Payment Systems Regulator to direct banks to reimburse victims of Authorised Push Payment fraud.

The Bill will implement the government’s vision for the sector that is open, green, technologically advanced and globally competitive – while maintaining high levels of consumer protection.

Chancellor of the Exchequer, Nadhim Zahawi said: “Today is a landmark day for financial services in the UK.

“Through the introduction of this Bill, we are repealing hundreds of pieces of burdensome EU regulations and seizing on the benefits of Brexit to ensure the financial sector works in the interests of British people and businesses.”

The Bill implements the outcomes of the Future Regulatory Framework Review, giving the financial regulators greater responsibility for setting the requirements for UK financial services, and for the first time, a new secondary objective to promote the growth and competitiveness of the UK economy including the financial services sector.

This will complement the regulators’ existing objectives of ensuring the safety and soundness of firms, protecting and enhancing the integrity of the UK financial system, promoting competition in the interests of consumers, and ensuring that consumers receive an appropriate degree of protection.

The Bill also includes enhanced mechanisms for engagement with stakeholders and accountability, scrutiny and oversight of the regulators by Parliament and the Treasury. This includes a new ‘rule review’ power which will enable the government to direct the regulators to review their rules where it is in the public interest.

To maintain the UK’s position as an international, open and competitive financial centre, the Bill will reform EU-derived legislation governing our capital markets, ensuring that our rulebook is fair, outcomes based and maintains high regulatory standards.

This includes removing the share trading obligation and double volume cap from MiFID II, which restrict how and where firms can execute trades, and granting the FCA new powers to enhance the transparency and effective function of markets.

The Bill will also give new powers to the government and regulators to better enable them to implement Mutual Recognition Agreements – which are agreements between two trading partners, designed to remove technical and regulatory barriers to trade.

To ensure the UK remains at the forefront of new technologies and innovations, the Bill will enable certain types of stablecoins to be regulated as a form of payment in the UK.

In fostering these new innovations, the Bill will also enable the creation of Financial Markets Infrastructure Sandboxes – allowing firms to test the use of new technologies and practices in financial markets, increasing efficiency, transparency and resilience of new products.

As part of plans to ensure consumers are protected, the legislation includes measures that will safeguard access to cash for generations to come; powers to enable the Payments Systems Regulator to direct banks to reimburse victims of APP fraud; and establishes a new regulatory pathway for firms to be able to approve financial promotions, ensuring they better reflect FCA rules which state that promotions should be fair, clear, and not misleading.

As part of this approach, the government will ensure greater financial inclusion through powers enabling credit unions, which provide low-interest forms of credit, to offer a wider range of products to their members.

Amanda Blanc, Chief Executive Officer, Aviva said: “This Bill will bring much needed reform.

“We want to move fast to a new regulatory framework for financial services and unlock the potential for greater investment in the UK.”

David Duffy, Group Chief Executive Officer, Virgin Money plc said: “Virgin Money welcomes the vision that the Chancellor set out last night to create a more open, green, competitive and technologically advanced sector.

“The new Financial Services and Markets Bill will bring about significant change to our industry, and we look forward to working in partnership with the Government as it delivers on its ambition to create one the most dynamic financial centres in the world.”

Chris Cummings, Chief Executive, the Investment Association said: “The Chancellor’s commitment to ensure the UK sets the standard for financial services globally is good news for savers and investors.

“We welcome the government’s aim to deliver new economic growth through harnessing innovation and ensuring the UK remains the most inclusive, open and transparent place to do business in the world.”

David Postings, Chief Executive of UK Finance, said: “The Chancellor’s vision in his Mansion House speech is for the UK to have a strong and internationally competitive banking and finance sector, which we strongly welcome.

“A successful financial services sector is critical for achieving economic growth and benefits the whole country – it is one of our most important industries, delivering jobs, investment and growth across every region.

“To ensure the sector continues to be successful, alongside maintaining the pace of reform, there needs to be a keen focus on international competitiveness from the next government.”

Expert reveals benefits of mind and brain training games

The benefits of keeping physically fit and healthy are a given when it comes to receiving advice on how to always stay on top of our physical performance. Still, experts have revealed that playing certain games and completing challenges that test our cognitive skills can stimulate our mental fitness, giving us ample ways of improving brain health.

Experts at SolitaireBliss have revealed how playing fun mind games and performing stimulating brain challenges can have huge benefits when trying to remain mentally fit.

Improving memory

One of the most beneficial effects of brain training games is their ability to improve memory, and with neurodegeneration commonly being disregarded as something only to worry about at an old age, many are unaware that deterioration can start as early as their 30s.

There are many ways to improve brain health and keep a sharp memory, and factors such as maintaining a varied diet along with good nutrition, having a healthy sleeping pattern, regular exercise and interacting with people you can keep your cognitive skills tested. These factors are all vital to sustaining a healthy brain but adding brain training games into your day can be a fun way to increase and add to your brain’s daily exercises.

Speeding up reaction time

Another perk of downloading a brain training app is its ability to help increase reaction times which depends on the central nervous system’s speed. High cognitive functioning reaction times can be highly beneficial, especially to those who excel in sports requiring fast hand-eye coordination and medical roles requiring swift and precise reactions.

Overall, higher cognitive functions stem from a healthy nervous system which proves how vital visual awareness and reaction times are, all of which can be exercised and improved with brain training apps.

Improving attention span

Having a short attention span can be a real annoyance when performing day-to-day tasks as it can lead to poor focus at work as well as cause problems in communication similarly, it can also lead to anxiety and stress due to the inability to finish complex tasks.

A major advantage of brain training games which get harder as you level up is that they can improve your attention span by being able to keep the gamer engaged and solely focused on the game at hand; this can be very beneficial to those who suffer easily from distraction and find it difficult to focus on one thing at a time.

Helps to assist those after suffering severe head injuries

There can be many causes for concern when a patient has suffered from brain trauma. Such injuries can lead to an alteration in mental state, whether difficulty concentrating or disorientation, and also fears of focal neurological problems. This could be anything from distorted or loss of vision, weakness in building back muscle and struggles with speech.

Many patients who have suffered severe head injuries will use brain training and memory games to rehabilitate and recover from such traumatic events. By stretching your brain muscles and exercising your cognitive skills, you are actively accelerating all elements of the brain, which can speed up improvement in strength, coordination, and balance.

Cancer Research Horizons renews partnership with Edinburgh University entrepreneur incubator programme

Cancer Research Horizons, the innovation engine of Cancer Research UK, the world’s largest independent cancer research organisation, is renewing its partnership with the University of Edinburgh’s flagship Venture Builder Incubator which supports the commercialisation of data-driven PhD research.

Cancer Research Horizons, through its Entrepreneurial Programmes, will sponsor ten places for cancer-related research projects from across the UK to take part on this 16-week programme which aims to drive academic entrepreneurship by supporting PhD students and early career researchers to develop their business ideas, build their skills and secure funding.

In 2021, the first year of the Cancer Research Horizons collaboration, eight companies operating in the field of cancer were selected as start-ups for the incubator.

For the second year running, Cancer Research Horizons’ continued support for PhD students and researchers will play an important role in accelerating the commercialisation of ideas aimed at conquering cancer.

Laura Bernal, Venture Builder Incubator Programme Manager, said: “We are delighted to be partnering with Cancer Research Horizons again this year.

“Our Incubator programme is designed to help fledgling entrepreneurs across all sectors of business build their skills and take their businesses to the next level and through continuing to build our relationship with the brilliant team at Cancer Research Horizons, we can ensure that we are supporting the commercialisation of vital research across 10 cancer-related projects this year.”

The Venture Builder Incubator, delivered by the Bayes Centre, the University of Edinburgh’s world-leading innovation hub for Data Science and Artificial Intelligence, on behalf of the University’s five Data-Driven Innovation Hubs and Edinburgh Innovations, the commercialisation service of the University, will start later this year and builds on the success of the previous cohorts which have seen considerable success, attracting £1.8m in funding in the last 12 months.

Previous oncology-related ventures focused on developing early diagnosis tools and less invasive testing to enable improved outcomes for people affected by cancer. They included: OncoAssign, a precision medicine startup integrating AI and onco-diagnostics to deliver accurate treatment prediction; 10zyme, a start-up devising a simple method of detecting cancers through urine or saliva samples; ForceBiology, developers of a versatile, more accurate and cost-effective high throughput drug-screening platform for cancer and Therapevo, a screening platform striving to fill the gap between research and the medical testing of new therapeutic strategies.

Commenting on her experience as a participant in last year’s cohort, Estefania Esposito, Co-founder of Therapevo, said: “Being introduced to a network of Venture Builder cohorts past and present was invaluable.

“They all had different backgrounds, and even when they had similar backgrounds, they all added something: an experience, an idea or an opinion.”

Dr Alessia Errico, Associate Director of Search and Evaluation, and Entrepreneurial Programmes Lead at Cancer Research Horizon said: “We want to inspire the next generation of scientific entrepreneurs in the field of cancer research as well as inspiring cultural change within the industry, so working alongside Edinburgh University and their Data Driven Innovation programme provides us with the perfect platform to do this.

“Supporting entrepreneurs on the journey from an ideation to venture creation is one of the most important things that we can do, so we are excited about what this next year will bring.”

The Venture Builder Incubator is designed to help fledgling entrepreneurs across all sectors build their skills and take their businesses to the next level. Start-ups are chosen after an application process which is open to PhD students, early career researchers and academic staff from the University of Edinburgh or Heriot-Watt University, as well as early career researchers focused on cancer-related projects from across the UK.

Each startup is provided with £2,000 as well as business support through a series of workshops, networking events, mentoring, peer-to-peer learnings and access to the University of Edinburgh’s entrepreneurial ecosystem and its data expertise.

Applications have now opened for the Venture Builder Incubator 3.0. For more information visit https://edinburghdde.com/dde-programmes/venture-builder-incubator-2

The early bird deadline for applications is Friday 22^nd July and those entering before this date are guaranteed application feedback and the chance to resubmit their proposal and an invitation to a Bayes Centre Community Event.

The final deadline for applications is Friday 9 September.

PRENTICE CENTRE CLOSURE CONFIRMED

West Granton Community Trust Management Committee Decision

WGCT has issued the following statement:

At a meeting of the West Granton Community Trust Management Committee on Monday 18^th June, the decision made on 27^th June to wind up the Trust was confirmed. This will mean the permanent closure of the Prentice Centre.

It has been reported in the press that the City of Edinburgh Council were considering providing us with a one off grant of £50,000, however with no confirmation of the process to secure this funding nor the timescales involved, the Trust has been left with no alternative but to proceed with the winding up of the Trust.

This is to ensure the orderly transfer of the premises to another charitable organisation and to meet our responsibilities to our tenants, staff and the community.

This is in line with the Constitution of the Trust and the legal requirements associated with the closure of an organisation with charitable status.

The Management Committee would like to thank our loyal members for their support over the years and assure them that we have done everything within our power to avoid this situation.

Given our current financial situation and with no guarantee of long-term funding for staff and overheads, we can no longer operate as a Trust.

Following the suspension of activities at the Prentice Centre on 1 July, there will be no further access for community use. Staff will remain on site until mid-October to care for the building and to manage the process of winding up the Trust.

A sad day indeed for staff, management committee, members, patrons and the wider North Edinburgh community …

It is time for an honest man to step forward and set the record straight … WATSON: The Final Problem

WATSON previewed at Edinburgh Fringe last year, being enthusiastically received and achieving sell out shows. Now, refreshed and revised, Tim Marriott returns as Watson to Edinburgh before touring in the UK and internationally.

The play is a classic Sherlock Holmes tale of long buried secrets, betrayal and death. There is a shadow in the gutters, a spider’s web of poisonous intrigue plagues the city and Watson must face his greatest ever challenge.

The year is 1894. Watson is alone. Sherlock Holmes and his beloved Mary are both gone. London seethes with false reports and rumour. It is time to set the record straight. So Watson tells his tale and the intrepid detectives must face their nemesis, the Napoleon of Crime, Professor Moriarty. But as Watson takes us on a journey across Europe to the Reichenbach Falls, is the game really over?

“Impressive! A damn fine play” – Weekend Notes

“Brilliant. A must see” – Edinburgh Review

“A grippingly fine display… outstanding” – Broadway Baby

Watson: The Final Problem is created in collaboration with and directed by Bert Coules, the BBC’s head writer on adaptations of the Further Adventures of Sherlock Holmes, who says “Watson is often overlooked, but is more than Conan Doyle’s alter ego. Deeply affected by the effects of war in Afghanistan and appalled by dishonesty and falsehood, he is a remarkably contemporary character to bring to life on stage.”

90s sitcom star Tim Marriott played ‘Gavin’ in 7 seasons of the BBC sit-com The Brittas Empire. After a second career in education, he returned to the stage in 2018, travelling to festivals around the world with acclaimed productions of his PTSD awareness play Shell Shock and Holocaust themed Mengele.

BOOKING DETAILS

Time:13.10

Venue 20 – The Drawing Room, Assembly Festival, George Street

Dates: Aug 3-15, 17-28

Running Time: 60 mins

Tickets and Info: https://assemblyfestival.com/whats-on/watson-the-final-problem

TUC: Building Worker Power

ESSAY COLLECTION LAUNCHED

Union members’ rights are under ferocious attack by bad employers like P&O Ferries and by a government intent on hindering workers’ ability to demand better pay and conditions (writes TUC’s NINA REECE).

This will look familiar to trade unionists David Wilson and Terence Palmer who, 20 years ago, defeated hostile bosses and a Tory government in a long-running case that made it to the European Court of Human Rights.

Their court victory is marked with the publication by the TUC of ‘Building Worker Power’, a collection of essays by leading lawyers, politicians and trade unionists. Their contributions outline the importance of the landmark Wilson and Palmer case, the challenges facing those fighting for union rights today and what modern collective rights would look like.

In 1989, Daily Mail journalist David Wilson received a letter from his employer: it was not going to renew its recognition agreement with the National Union of Journalists.

On top of this, any journalist who signed a contract of employment with the company before the agreement was due to end was given a 4.5 per cent pay rise.

Meanwhile, RMT member, Terence Palmer worked for the ports in Southampton.

His employer was also offering new contracts, this one coupled with a 10 per cent pay rise, on the condition that the workers would no longer be represented by his union, the RMT.

This was union busting, plain and simple. The employers were withdrawing from collective bargaining and offering workers bribes to enter into personal contracts. Anyone who chose to remain within the collective agreement was denied the increased pay.

With the support of their unions, Wilson and Palmer took their cases to industrial tribunal. They argued that the actions of their employers violated their rights: “the right to form and join trade unions for the protection of [one’s] interests”, an aspect of freedom of association protected under article 11 of the European Convention on Human Rights (ECHR).

In his essay, Professor Keith Ewing reflects that this was not easy. There was a long legal battle and the Conservative government intervened, tinkering with the law to make it easier for employers to derecognise a union and remove the protections they afford.

Eventually, the European Court of Human Rights (ECtHR) held that by permitting employers to discriminate against trade unionists, British law had violated the ECHR.

In response to the 2002 ECtHR ruling, Section 145b of the Trade Union and Labour Relations (Consolidation) Act (TULRA) was established by a new Labour government. This meant that union members now had the right to not receive employer offers which, if accepted, would stop their terms and conditions from being determined by collective bargaining.

David Wilson and Terence Palmer had won and the law had been changed. But this ruling had even further reaching consequences.

In their essay, barristers Michael Ford QC and Stuart Brittenden show how in 2021, Section14b of TULRA was used again, when Unite members Dunkley and others won against Kostal UK Ltd at Supreme Court to establish that bosses can’t just ignore recognition agreements then claim that, even if they had ignored the collective procedures, they could not be penalised as they had not decided to do so permanently.

Today, labour activists and law defenders continue the fight for our right to trade union activities.

UNISON’s Shantha David, and Thompsons’ Rachel Halliday show in their essays that government attempts to undermine human rights principles in UK law could make it far harder to advance collective rights.

The proposed Bill of Rights would weaken the government’s obligation to ensure UK law reflects our convention rights and could leave workers with no choice but to challenge attacks on those rights at the ECtHR in Strasbourg, a costly and complicated process.

New plans have also been announced to allow agencies to supply workers to perform the duties of employees who are on strike, making it harder for working people to organise collectively and defend their jobs.

In her foreword, Labour’s Angela Rayner makes a positive point: progress can be made by strong union organising and a robust legal strategy.

The Wilson and Palmer case proves that workers and our unions can win. We need to be just as determined as they were.

Download ‘Building Worker Power: Essays on collective rights 20 years after the Wilson and Palmer case established the right to be represented by a trade union’ here.

Wilson-and-Palmer-Collection-High-Res Download

Archaeology Open Day at Cammo Estate this Saturday

Ever wondered about the history of the Cammo Estate?

Find out about the latest finds and discoveries made by the Archaeological Field Society over the past year.

They’re holding an open day on Saturday 23 July from 10am – 2pm – see you there!

@field_society

@Edinburgh_CC

Coram: Counting the cost of childcare

Holiday childcare prices jump by 5%, amid cost of living crisis, as parents working full time struggle to find the childcare they need

Families across Britain are bracing themselves for a difficult summer as a sharp rise in holiday childcare prices and patchy availability of places hits working parents, Coram Family and Childcare’s 17th annual Holiday Childcare Survey has revealed.

Coram’s report finds that, amid the soaring costs of living, holiday childcare costs have jumped by 5% since 2021. The average place at a holiday club now costs £148 a week – more than double what parents pay for an after-school club during term time.

Families will now find themselves almost £900 out of pocket for six weeks of holiday childcare for each school age child, nearly £500 more than they would pay for six weeks of term time childcare before and after school. Some 42% of local authorities across Britain have reported that the pandemic had caused an increase in prices.

The survey also found considerable regional variation in prices across Britain, with parents in inner London paying an average of £161 per week compared to £135 in the West Midlands, an 18% price difference. There are also huge price differences within the same area, with some holiday childcare places in inner London costing 92% more than the average, while others cost 44% less.

Alongside the financial strain, parents are struggling to find the childcare they need, with only 27% of English local authorities having enough holiday childcare available for parents in their area who work full time, down 6% on last year. Parents of disabled children face the most acute challenge with only 7% of local authorities having enough holiday childcare for these families, plunging from 16% in 2021.

Other notable gaps in England include holiday childcare for children whose parents work atypical hours and children living in rural areas, with only 10% and 15% of local authorities respectively reporting they have enough childcare availability for these groups.

Ellen Broomé, managing director of Coram Family and Childcare, said: “Families across Britain are reeling from record inflation and this steep rise in holiday childcare will push many further into financial distress.

“Many parents, particularly mothers, will have no choice but be locked out of work altogether or struggle to pay for basic necessities such as food or rent.

“Holiday childcare is key economic infrastructure. The lack of childcare places for working parents is a serious problem – not just for families but for the country’s economic output. Children have experienced such disruption throughout the pandemic, and holiday childcare offers them a safe and fun space to stay active and connect with their friends while also helping to tackle the summer learning loss.”

Coram Family and Childcare is calling on the UK, Scottish and Welsh Governments to:

Reform Universal Credit so it does not lock parents out of work – by increasing the maximum amount of childcare costs paid under Universal Credit and guaranteeing support for upfront childcare costs.
Increase support for Family Information Services to provide good quality holiday childcare information and broker access to local provision that meets families’ needs.
Expand provision of the Holiday Activities and Food programme to improve access to affordable, high quality childcare for all children who need it.
Support local authorities to ensure they have a comprehensive overview of the cost and availability of holiday childcare in their area to identify and plug gaps in provision.

Coram-Holiday-Childcare-Survey-2022 Download