A survey by the Daycare Trust, the UK's national childcare charity, children's nursery charges have increased twice as quickly as the wages of the parents, in the past one year. In other words, there has been a two-fold increase in the cost of nursery place for a child aged over two years, as compared to the rise in wages of the parents.

The survey was based on a compilation of figures submitted by family information services in England, Scotland and Wales; and chiefly studied the region-wise availability of childcare and the cost of childminders, nurseries and after-school clubs.

As per the survey statistics, the cost of a nursery place for a child aged two or more underwent an increase by 4.8 percent during the past year, "far exceeding the growth rate of 2.1% for the average wage in the same period."

The disquieting increase in the children's nursery charges, despite the economic downturn, indicates that parents of younger children will have to annually spend £5,028, on an average, for 25 hours of nursery care per week in England. The average childcare cost in London will come to £6,164 per year.

Noting that "parents will be concerned by the rising cost of childcare," Children's Minister Sarah Teather said that the new government has extended "free early education to 15 hours a week for all three and four-year-olds"; along with extending the offer to "the most disadvantaged two-year-olds from 2013, with additional funding available to local authorities next year."