Parents face £1,800 childminder bills over summer, says charity

Working parents who depend on childminders to look after their children during the school summer holidays face bills of as much as £1,800 for six weeks of childcare, research suggests.

- Sally Weale

A survey by the children's charity Coram found that families in inner London can expect to pay an average of £306 a week for a holiday childminder, adding up to £1,836 for the six weeks, compared with a British average of £234 a week.

Holiday childminder costs in Wales and Scotland are marginally higher - £249 and £238 a week respectively, compared with £233 in England.

It is the first time the survey, now in its 20th year, has included childminder costs during the holidays, which are published alongside annual data provided by local authorities on the cost and availability of places in holiday childcare clubs.