Nursery World - Cost of raising a child rises by 4 per cent in a year

New research published by the Child Poverty Action Group illustrates parents' growing struggle to provide a decent standard of living for their families in 2013.

The cost of living rose by 25 per cent between 2008 and 2013. The cost of childcare, "the most expensive item purchased by many families with small children" rose by 37 per cent during the same period, over twice the official inflation rate. At the same time, family income has only risen by five per cent since 2008.

The introduction of universal credit from October this year will have mixed results for families, the charity says. However, for both couple and lone parents working full time on the minimum wage, the new system will still leave them some way short of an acceptable standard of living. Many low-income families have also seen cuts in housing support with the introduction of changes such as the ‘bedroom tax’.

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