Nursery business rates

What it asks

What the petitioner did first

1. 15 Jun 2017
   Public Petitions Committee

   New Petition
   1 mention
2. 9 Nov 2017
   Public Petitions Committee

   Continued Petitions
   1 mention

1. Scotland1,988 80.2%
2. United Kingdom473 19.1%
3. England16 0.6%
4. Wales3 0.1%

1. Alison Innes 29 Mar 2017
   The rates are an additional charge to nurseries which will not help them offer more places for children in Scotland if costs keep increasing
2. Kerry robertson 29 Mar 2017
   This will put many nurseries out of business
3. K.McLeman 29 Mar 2017
   Nurseries need the space for our children's benefit, it's crazy they're being treated the same as other businesses
4. Natalie Mckelvie 29 Mar 2017
   It is totally unjustifiable and going to make early years childcare impossible for parents to afford if employers are forced to rise the fees.
5. Catriona MacRae 29 Mar 2017
   The government cannot expect childcare providers to offer 'free' childcare if they are not receiving there full rate
   - it is not sustainable!!
6. Sharon Fairley 29 Mar 2017
   The Government must work with the private Early years providers and make childcare affordable. Abolishing rates , fairer Funding , along with being zero VAT rated would make a huge difference.
7. kerry robertson 30 Mar 2017
   This is unacceptable. My rates have gone up by 81.5% to £147000
8. Ian Feeney 31 Mar 2017
   This rise will either affect the viabilituy of nursery businesses or will pass on to parents such as myself who are already stretching to pay the fees for good qaulity nursery care. This seems to contradict the governments aims of finding more and better childcare to allow parents to go out to work.
9. Ajay Nanda 31 Mar 2017
   This increase makes no sense! Council nurseries are full & parents need quality private nurseries. Increasing their business rates will directly adversely affect children's quality of care!
10. Alistair McKelvie 3 Apr 2017
    Childcare Businesses such as Nureserys are a first step education and social development of our youngest children. There facilities should not be liable to taxes such as BR , Vat, etc etc.
11. Pamela Anderson 3 Apr 2017
    I think it's ridiculous putting up prices.
12. Hazel Homes 3 Apr 2017
    Nursery Fees are expensive enough and if business rates go up, fees will likely go up too. It's not fair on the working parents.
13. Amanda Edwards 4 Apr 2017
    The increase in rates has high potential to make childcare unaffordable for working families.
14. S. Lorimer 4 Apr 2017
    This is going to cripple small business holders.
15. Nina 4 Apr 2017
    how we will be able to pay for a nursery then?? almost whole of my pay is covering nursery fees anyway....
16. J.Paul 4 Apr 2017
    Nursery fees are already extortionate for working parents,this increase in rates will mean nursery fees will be increased to help cover rates.
17. Amy Drewery 4 Apr 2017
    If business rates increase for nurseries they will simply put the increase onto us, we spend nearly a whole wage on fees as it stands but can't afford not to have both incomes, we can't afford an increase
18. Jennifer Kerr 4 Apr 2017
    This cost will have to be passed on to all the working families who have also just received council tax increases and increases to our electricity rates.
19. Lesley 4 Apr 2017
    My nursery fees are double what I pay for my mortgage. Please do not make us have to pay any more in order for us to return to work!
20. Tristan 4 Apr 2017
    People won't be able to afford to go back to work. Small businesses will vanish.
21. Michala Bradshaw 4 Apr 2017
    Childcare is already a huge cost for working parents. To incur further tax costs will stretch families further making our cost of living less affordable and potential to work less of an option.
22. Kathryn Suttie 4 Apr 2017
    This increase will make private nursery care unaffordable for working parents, and undermine early years' education for children.
23. Norma McFarlane 4 Apr 2017
    Save these small businesses they are vital to our families
24. L.W 5 Apr 2017
    The proposed increase in rates will result in nurseries increasing their fees therefore childcare will become unaffordable for working families, resulting in families having to give up work as they will not be able to afford the child care to allow the parents to work and provide for their family. Like many working parents the vast majority of my salary is spent on nursery fees.
25. Laura Braham 5 Apr 2017
    Increasing expenses for nurseries and childcare facilities will just mean that those increases will be passed on to families already struggling to meet high childcare costs. In addition, already low paud nursery staff will suffer as wages would be unlikely to rise as a result and nurseries woukd find it even harder to afford resources. Again this cost would be passed to families either directly through fees rising or through needing to fundfraise or pay for additional resources or services for their child.
26. Rebecca McLean 5 Apr 2017
    Everything must be done to keep childcare affordable to provide families with options about going back to work if they want to.
27. Margaret Malcolm 5 Apr 2017
    Good childcare from the earliest stage will determine the future potential of the child. Helps parents return to work without fear for their child. It must be affordable.
28. Denise Camilleri 5 Apr 2017
    Child care fees are high enough, this is just going to put childcare fees higher and further effect working parents
29. alastair carruth 5 Apr 2017
    how did the Scottish Government not see this coming??!!
30. Helen 5 Apr 2017
    Soon parents wont be able to work due to rising costs in childcare as their fees will probably increase to assist business rates impact.
31. Jonathan Bruneau 6 Apr 2017
    A stated and key Scottish and UK Government aim is to increase the standard of preschool education and make child care costs affordable. Headlines talk about 30 hours of 'free' care (not possible at present funding rates). It's an example of government underfunding and manipulating the sector for its own ends. In addition, nurseries are the play thing of education and care regulators who impose top down requirements, often changed annually, which impose unsustainable costs on nurseries (think the requirement for all staff to be in training and Managers to achieve a BA, all for the same low wages!). The net result is a loss of considerable experience and a new staffing compliment mainly under 25. All the 'Mrs Doubtfire's' have gone or will leave once illconceived regs work their way through the system. Preschool care cannot offer its services at affordable rates for parents without a cohesive government plan which involves itself, HMRC, the local council, the regulator (CARE Inspectorate or Ofsted), education providers etc. Presently, all the above organisations exact 'their pound of flesh' from the sector through taxes, charges, regulation etc. The increase in Council Taxes for the sector (on some sites by 100%+) will need to be passed on to parents putting further pressure on affordability and the viability of an already much manipulated industry. Universal Preschool creates the citizens of the future. It sets them on the right path in life. However, it cannot be provided privately at a level affordable to ALL without government subsidy. This should be joined up, cohesive and not constantly tampered with by government individuals, groups and organisations who have not 'joined the dots'. If you want a glorified child minding service because your aim is to get people back to work then regulate it accordingly, concentrating on care not education. If you want care, education and higher standards the industry needs more funding not higher taxes!
32. robyn donaldson 6 Apr 2017
    as i working parent i struggle with nursery fees as it is with out it going up any more
33. Kirsten Phillips 6 Apr 2017
    I already spend the best part of my salary on childcare. My child's nursery is fantastic. If I can't afford nursery then my husband or I will have to give up work and become another statistic of Benefits Britain
34. Vicky mcdowell 6 Apr 2017
    Any increase in cost greater than 5% will make working not worthwhile.
35. Louise platt 6 Apr 2017
    Working families can not afford a price rise in childcare.
36. Elizabeth Hogg 6 Apr 2017
    Increased demand on the childcare sector has already seen a massive financial setback, business rates are just another nail in the coffin. Something will have to be done soon before we end up in a real medley from which a return will be highly unlikely and too late.
37. B Devlin 6 Apr 2017
    Inconsistent approach to the delivery of childcare in this country. No consideration to the business owners or parents who have to pay the fees.
38. John-Paul 6 Apr 2017
    In no uncertain terms, this is a joke. Tax nurseries and indirectly, tax working parents (Because that's who'll pay for this). Put nurseries out of business, pushing up prices and making it impossible for some people to work, and reduce families' disposable incomes.
    
    Genius. Nice one. "Right kids, no more 5 a day, I'm afraid it's square sausages for breakfast, lunch and dinner.
39. Marjorie Robson 6 Apr 2017
    Exempting Private Sector Nurseries from Business Rates would certainly help businesses to ensure future sustainability in the face of the challenges of 1140 hours. At the present moment the fees for non-funded 0
    - 3 year olds are effectively subsidising the 'funded' 3 and 4 year olds in our Nursery because the local authority does not pay the actual cost of our Early Learning and Childcare provision.
40. John T Lauder 6 Apr 2017
    My average rates increase across my business is in the order of 75%. How can the government justify such a hefty increase when the whole city is currently struggling to make ends meet! this is a disgrace!!
41. Suzy H 6 Apr 2017
    84.5% increase in commercial rates today, also to factor in pensions and living wages increases all without increasing fees to ensure I have a full nursery!
42. Marion Barker 6 Apr 2017
    It makes absolutely no sense at all to increase these rates which along with other rising costs will force some nurseries to close at a time when the government wants to increase the provision
    - this will not be possible without private nurseries. Quality early years care and education is already far too expensive for most families in this country and the only way for private nurseries to survive is to pass the cost onto parents
    - many of them will not be able to afford this. This will be the end for many settings.....how does this benefit the children and parents who will struggle to find care , or the nursery staff who will loose their jobs. Please reconsider this before the sector disappears entirely
43. Pamela Gordon 6 Apr 2017
    The government need to help working parents with affordable childcare, putting up business rates only makes the whole cost of childcare worse as the increase in rates will need to be moved onto the end users which are the parents
44. Iain Arthur 6 Apr 2017
    My partners entire part-time wage covers nursery childcare, something we deem a vital part in our child's development. I believe the scale of these increases to not be proportionate or necessary. It will effect our position with nursery education.
45. Anne Smith 6 Apr 2017
    How are we supposed to offer affordable childcare if our rates are so high?
46. Amanda Wallace Davidson 6 Apr 2017
    As a small nursery owner, whose business rates are more than doubling, this is going to have a significant effect on our business. On top of the economic struggles we are experiencing right now in Aberdeen and the north east of Scotland due to the oil crisis, many businesses in my area (including nurseries) will find it very difficult to continue operating. Factor in that we are not allowed to claim back VAT like other businesses, and our maximum number of customers (income) and minimum staffing levels (our biggest expense) are tightly controlled, the only way we can increase our income is by passing on the costs to the parents and increasing fees which will make it difficult for families to afford.
47. Sharon 6 Apr 2017
    The amount of rates is horrendous, make childcare affordable, putting up rates will be filtered back through childcare fees to parents, making it harder for parents to afford childcare. I currently pay £150 per week and earn a fraction more than this!
48. Liz 6 Apr 2017
    Scandal picking on child care
49. Hazel Farquhar 6 Apr 2017
    The Scottish Government are really letting working parents down!
50. Irene Tudor 6 Apr 2017
    The only people not making the minimum wage will be the owners of the small private nurseries