Reduced child-care support hurts the poor

Cuts to the working tax credit have hit poorer families. Four in 10 of those affected have considered giving up work because they will no longer earn enough to cover their childcare bills. The cut has added £500 extra on average to the childcare bill of low-income families.

Around 80 per cent of parents in low-income families who are in employment agreed with the statement: "Once I have paid for childcare, I am in a similar position to as if I was not working."

Parents spend almost a third of their incomes on childcare - more than anywhere else in the world, according to research by charities Save the Children and Daycare Trust.

The situation is even worse for families already living in poverty, where nearly half have had to cut back on food to afford childcare.

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What impact is this having on society and how does it impact on social mobility?