'It's just survival mode': Estimated 1.5 million children in the UK live in a childcare desert

New research estimates that 1.5 million children in the UK have poor access to childcare, ITV News Social Affairs Correspondent Sarah Corker and Producer Lottie Kilraine report

An estimated 1.5 million children in the UK are currently thought to be living in a childcare desert, where there are more than three children for every available nursery place.

New research, shared exclusively with ITV News, shows that almost half of nursery-age children in England have poor access to childcare, making it the second worst out of nine nations surveyed globally and falling just behind France.

Finding affordable and available nursery places is a huge struggle for many parents, but with one-year-old triplets, it's almost impossible.

We met with Lindsey Power, a teacher who lives in Newcastle and is a mother to four daughters: triplets Heidi, Summer, and Alice - and three-year-old Isla.

"We have to pay for a childcare place times three, and that's a lot of money," she said.

Lindsey and her partner benefit from 15 hours a week of funded childcare for the triplets - but that still doesn't cover what they need as nursery fees cost the family around £3,000 a month.

"To go back to work part-time, which is what I've done, still leaves us short. It's just survival mode in terms of finances for the next few years, until the girls start school," she said.

The research conducted by Victoria University’s Mitchell Institute, an international Think Tank, has mapped childcare access for ten million children of nursery age across nine countries – including England, Scotland, Wales, Northern Ireland, Australia, France, Sweden, Norway, and the Netherlands.

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It found that 45% of centre-based childcare and nurseries in England are classified as a childcare desert.

Meanwhile, the numbers in Northern Ireland stand at 37% and Wales at 27%. However, Scotland - where funded early learning and childcare is free to parents - fairs the best with only 10% of poor access to nursery places. Childcare is devolved in the UK, with the devolved nations operating slightly different systems.

Of the nine regions across England, the North West, London and the South East rank best for accessibility with the fewest number of people living in a childcare desert.

The West Midlands, Yorkshire & The Humber and the North East have the greatest number of people living in a childcare desert.

The research has also found that the most deprived local authority areas are more likely to be childcare deserts.

Torridge in North West Devon, Walsall in the West Midlands, and Thurrock in Essex are the areas with some of the worst access with more than 3.5 children for every place.

Meanwhile, in more wealthy areas it was found that more childcare is available but on average with higher fees charged.

Peter Hurley, the Associate Professor who authored the report, said: "The disparity within the early learning sector across England tells a story of inequality, with affluent families living in wealthier parts of the country having access to a greater quantity of early year care. It is often the best parts of town that have the highest childcare accessibility."

Peter Hurley, who authored the report conducted by Victoria University’s Mitchell Institute, shared the findings with ITV News

Years of underfunding mean nurseries are closing faster than new ones are opening, with many providers having long waiting lists.

Debbie Wylie, a former teacher who now runs five nurseries across locations in Newcastle and Northumberland, told us: "I think it's heartbreaking for some parents."

"There are a large number of nurseries that are at risk of closure, and the numbers have increased significantly since Covid."

To keep pace with those rising costs, the sector is calling for more funding in the forthcoming budget.

Labour has already said it plans to create more than 100,000 new nursery places by setting up more than 3,300 new nurseries in primary schools.

But those working in early years warn that none of that will be possible unless they first tackle the staffing crisis - and low pay remains a problem.

Years of under-funding mean nurseries are closing faster than new ones are opening and the sector is calling for more to be done as costs continue to rise

We spoke to 22-year-old Amy Robson who started working as a nursery assistant a fortnight ago after graduating university with a psychology degree last year. She hopes it will be a stepping stone to a career in teaching.

"It's not the biggest paid job in the world, but baring in mind I've just graduated so it's not like a step down - and it's a foot in the door and an opportunity," she added.

The Early Education and Childcare Coalition (EECC) has warned of the impact that a lack of access to quality early years care could have on children's futures.

Sarah Ronan, Director of the EECC, said: "Childcare deserts in England are predominantly found in areas of disadvantage, yet these are precisely the communities that would benefit from greater access.

"Yes, opportunity begins in the early years, but without fair access to early education, so does inequality. We need a strategy for addressing this coupled with a willingness by government to invest and reform."

Lucie Stephens, from the Early Education and Childcare Coalition, warns of the impact a lack of access to quality childcare could have on children's futures

The government has announced an increase in funded nursery places for parents who want to get back to work. But it remains a balancing act as England is rated as one of the least family-friendly countries in Europe.

Education Secretary Bridget Phillipson told ITV News: “It is no secret that for far too long, early education in England has been too often expensive and hard to find.

"This report paints a stark picture of how parents have for years been failed by a lack of vision or ambition for this country’s early years system.

“As many of the other countries in the report have shown, finding childcare simply should not be this difficult. Good early years education can make the biggest impact on children’s life chances.

"That’s why fixing the early years is my number one priority, including delivering our plans for 3,000 school-based nurseries, because high quality early education is so valuable in giving children the best start in life.”

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