‘Expensive childcare in capital makes life much harder’

“Childcare in London is very expensive and makes life harder. The

£80,000 mortgage £2,000, bills £200, food £800, travel £600, socialising/childcare £800 “We need more investment in terms of entrepreneurship. It is hard to access seed capital. We were lucky, but many with great ideas just fold. I would like more focus on tech start-ups in respect of larger government-backed loans, reduced VAT, corporation tax and a simplified research and development credit reclaim process.

“The Government has a lot of schemes in place, but you need an cost of nurseries are like a second mortgage. You are looking at an average of between £700 per month up to £1,200. It means many women sit at home and are economically inactive.

“My son has started school, but I still have to pay £15 a day for breakfast and after school clubs. The Government needs to re-evaluate the cost of childcare.

“In September they brought in 30 hours free childcare after a child is three years old, but they need to bring that age down or reduce nursery fees.

“I also think the Job Centre provisions should be better. When I first left university I had a one-year-old and I was eligible for income support. I never wanted to be on benefits — I had a degree in medical biochemistry, I expert who knows about the system and they will charge a lot. There is too much bureaucracy, the processes need to be simpler. These measures could wanted to use it. I went to the Job Centre and they only had jobs like being a porter in the hospital. Why are they so limited in what they provide, but recruitment is a multi-millionpound industry?” Are you optimistic or worried about the year ahead as Britain moves towards Brexit?

“Since we voted I haven’t seen much change so far but I don’t feel optimistic about anything I have heard, or the year ahead. There has been no clear plan set out and there seems to be no true understanding of what will happen in 2019. As I work in the health service my job won’t be directly affected, but I am not sure what the country is heading into.” “I would like to be optimistic, but I would say I’m more confused. The uncertainty around the whole Brexit process affects business confidence, which is preventing businesses making key decisions on investment, growth and even recruiting staff.

“We need clear definitive guidelines. A dummy’s guide to Brexit would help, a whole site online dedicated to Brexit, but I fear this may even be a challenge for the Government in its current shape.

“Personally I am worried because we want to have an operation in Germany and, later on, France, but we do not know if we need to form a separate company on the continent moving forward.

“On an individual level I have also seen the cost of living rise and when I am travelling around Europe my pound is weaker.”