Plunge in number of childminders leaves parents struggling

New figures show an 8.5 per cent decline across the capital over the past two years, with the suburbs particularly badly hit.

Childcare groups said one key factor was the decision by many mothers to use more of their 12-month maternity leave entitlement.

Previously many took just six months off and left their babies with a childminder, who could give better one-on-one care than a nursery and be cheaper than a nanny.

But Conservative families spokeswoman Maria Miller claimed extra government regulation put an unbearable burden on childminders. On top of Ofsted-linked rules, new statutory childcare guidelines came into force last month.

"Childminders can be the first choice for parents with very young children because care is home-based not centre-based, but the number in London and the South-East is in freefall," she said.

"The extra regulations and additional costs loaded onto them in the past few years are squeezing them out of the market, leaving parents with less choice over the type of childcare they use.

"Four in five couples do not work a traditional nine-to-five day. More and more parents need flexible childcare such as childminding."

The figures were obtained by the Tories in an answer to a Parliamentary Question.

They show that between the second quarter of 2006 and the second quarter of this year, the number of childminders in inner London fell 5.4 per cent, from 3,700 to 3,500. In outer London, it fell by 9.8 per cent, from 8,200 to 7,400. In the South-East region outside the capital, the number fell by 8.8 per cent, from 13,700 to 12,500.

One theory for the discrepancy between inner and outer London is that women in the generally more affluent outer suburbs can afford to take longer off work. Childcare groups also cited population change, childminders opting to do more professional qualifications, and a shake-up of the Ofsted register which removed those who had not practised for more than a year.

Across England the number of childminders fell by 7,300, or 10.2 per cent, over the two-year period. A spokesman for the National Childminding Association said: "Childminder numbers have always ebbed and flowed for a number of reasons, most often the challenge of sustaining their business in a very competitive market. A lot of parents now take the whole year off, having previously used childminders.

"Childminders are now saying they're getting babies much later at a year old. It may also be that parents are able to work more flexibly so are using more informal care."

An Evening Standard investigation recently uncovered a catalogue of failings that had put children as young as six months at risk in London nurseries and crèches. A total of 143 child-care centres were judged "inadequate" by Ofsted.