NEW figures show the cost of childcare in the North-West has increased sharply since 2010, Labour claimed today.

The party has analysed figures from the Family and Childcare Trust.

Its study shows that in the region the cost of childcare has increased by between 29 and 51 per cent over the last eight years.

This compares to a rise of between 32 and 47 per cent across England since 2010 while wages nationally have risen by around 16 per cent in the same period.

The Labour analysis says the cost of 25 hours of childcare a week in a nursery setting across the North West has risen by £26 for a child under two and £34 for those more than two.

The cost of a childminder for a child under two has increased by £20 and for one more than two by £22.

Angela Rayner MP, Labour’s Shadow Secretary Education Secretary, said: “The cost of childcare has skyrocketed under this Tory Government, showing that they are failing to deliver affordable, sustainable childcare for families across the country.

“At the same time wages have stagnated and risen at half the rate of childcare costs, making it harder for working families to make ends meet.

“The next Labour government will give a fully-funded offer of 30 hours of free childcare to every 2-4 year old in England as we build a country that works for the many, not the few.”

She claimed that the rise in the cost of childcare when incomes were being squeezed would lead to families facing a situation where returning to work may not actually pay, as the cost of childcare could be higher than any additional income.

Ms Rayner added that families on the lowest incomes, not eligible for the Government’s extended entitlement to free childcare, would face the greatest pressure as costs continue to rise but additional government support was not forthcoming.