Nursery worried about childcare vouchers ''uncertainty''

Political uncertainty over the future of childcare vouchers is proving a real worry for nurseries.

This is according to the owner of Tinkerbell''s nursery Vanessa Mounsey, who said she is keen to learn what the new coalition government plans to do with the scheme.

Although her Ashton-based nursery is currently full, the summer is "always difficult" for her business.

One of the main issues affecting Ms Mounsey''s firm is parents losing their jobs or seeing their working hours reduced by recession-hit employers.

"We do get people asking us to be flexible because their hours have reduced. But we are just open and honest with people and they respect that," she told the Lancashire Evening Post.

Last month, a survey by FindaProperty suggested grandparents are also concerned by the uncertain future of childcare vouchers.

More than eight in ten working parents rely on the help of older relatives, according to the research.

Property analyst Nigel Lewis implied grandparents may need to offer more free childcare in the future if childcare vouchers are scrapped. Back