Raising a child from birth to 21 costs £200,000

London: It costs £800 per month to raise a child in Britain, according to a report that paints a picture of the country as a deeply unfriendly place for families. On average, parents spend £200,000 raising each child from birth to the age of 21, it said.

That equates to around £800 per month for each youngster.

The report, from the Family and Parenting Institute, highlights the spiralling cost of childcare in Britain, which is pushing many families into poverty.

The charity criticised the cost of nursery places, which can range from £30 to £80 per day. It said charges have risen by 5.1 per cent in the last year alone.

The report, due to be released tomorrow at a Westminster conference addressed by the Children's Minister Sarah Teather, said that increasingly it was grandparents who were being hit with the burden of caring for youngsters while the children's parents go out to work.

The institute said maternity and paternity pay in Britain is "inadequately low".

Frontline cuts

It warned that the Coalition's decision to abolish child trust funds, cut child tax credits and freeze child benefit had left parents fearing they were on the "frontline" for economic cuts.

Dr Katherine Rake, the institute's chief executive, said: "The cost of raising a child has a lot to do with the cost of childcare.

"The amount of affordable childcare is still limited and as a result people have to significantly adjust their working patterns.

"So the cost in terms of lost earnings is even bigger, especially for women."

The report includes a school report card-style grading system, with A being the highest grade and D the lowest, for ten factors that the institute believes show the level of Britain's "family friendliness".

No factors were awarded an A grade and overall the institute concluded that Britain would gain no more than a C minus for family friendliness.

The report criticised the failings in care for the elderly, which forces 60,000 older people to sell their properties to pay for a care home place each year; the lack of affordable housing; and the treatment and education of the 61,000 children in local council care.

It criticised the fact that around 2.8 million children and 1.8 million pensioners live in poverty.

Only one area — work-life balance — received a B grade, but the institute claimed there was still a long way to go.