Email from the NCMA..Important news about registration fees

[Lottie]

Hi girls,

I got an email from the ncma yesterday. I am not sure if it's been posted anywhere else on the forums, so feel free to move it etc. There are so many threads on here!

Thought I would share it with you all.

Dear NCMA Member

As many of you will know, earlier this year the Department for Children, Schools and Families launched a consultation into a proposed new fees structure increasing both application and annual fees for the Ofsted Childcare Register to £103 in September 2008 and fees for the Early Years Register to £100 in 2010.

NCMA and its members strongly opposed these substantial increases, which were well above inflation, and earlier this year I emailed all NCMA members in England who had provided NCMA with an email address to urge as many people as possible to read and respond to the consultation.

I am delighted to tell you that the Department has now announced that there will be no substantial increases over the next three years, while the Department explores a more proportionate and fair fees system. This is excellent news and I know the concerns lodged by many of you, alongside the continuing pressure applied by NCMA centrally to Government, played a large role in this positive outcome. In addition, NCMA did a lot of hard work behind the scenes to push for this result, lobbying MPs and working with Ministers and Government officials to explain the impact this would have, as well as lots of media work which resulted in coverage in The Times, Nursery World, Children and Young People Now, The Guardian, BBC TV Working Lunch and BBC Radio 4's Woman's Hour to name just a few.

The Department's announcement can be read at http://www.dcsf.gov.uk/pns/newslist.cgi

NCMA has issued a press statement welcoming this and it is available to read at www.*************

It is particularly appropriate that this announcement comes during National Childminding Week and I would like to take this opportunity to thank all of you who took time to write to the consultation office as well as your own MPs and I am very proud that as a profession we have achieved this by working together.

Yours


Susanna Dawson
NCMA Chair and registered childminder

Celebrate National Childminding Week 2008 from 14 to 21 June. For more information, visit www.*************

Now this is good news.

[Mollymop]

Yes I got the email too. It is very good news!

[angeldelight]

Yes I got the email too

Thanks for that though

Angel xx

[Chimps Childminding]

Thanks for that - haven't received the email. Great news