Princess of Wales ‘excited’ by Early Years report but not returning to work yet
The Princess of Wales is not returning to work yet, but remains fully updated on the Early Years work going on in her absence, it was revealed at the launch of a “landmark” new report.
Keen not to distract from the importance of the findings of the Early Years business taskforce, that was set up by the princess last year, a palace spokesperson confirmed that “it should not be seen or reported on as Her Royal Highness returning to work”.
They added: “You all know that early childhood is a huge priority for the princess and so she has been kept fully updated throughout the development of the taskforce’s work and she has seen the report.”
The report is an example of how the work of her Early Years Foundation has continued despite Kate undergoing preventative chemotherapy.
The princess, who “still needs space to recover”, is said to be “excited” by the findings, which claim the UK could reap £45.5bn in economic benefits if firms prioritise early childhood.
It recommends a range of interventions, from creating a culture inside and outside firms that prioritises childhood to supporting parents with greater resources and flexibility in the workplace.
Among the eight-member taskforce are the chief executives of Ikea, NatWest Group and Deloitte.
Speaking about the report, described as “a major early years rallying call”, Emma Franklin, a director of consulting with Deloitte said: “We’ve established a figure of £45.5bn, which is just immense in terms of value added to the UK economy.
Emma Franklin, a director of consulting with Deloitte
“And that’s three simple things, which is productivity gains of enabling parents who want to work more hours to get back into the workforce and avoiding some of the recruitment retention costs for people who are leaving the workforce, but also in terms of developing some of those really core social and emotional skills in our under fives now that will stand them in such good stead as the future workforce for us in terms of the skills around empathy and resilience and problem-solving.
“I think it’s a really compelling case for change.”
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Sky News visited a baby bank in north London run by Little Village.
Last year they supported 8,500 children, 20% more than the year before, and increasingly working parents are coming in for help.
Thea Jaffe has three children, including eight-month-old Isaac who’ll need to go to nursery when she goes back to work later this year.
Mother of three, Thea Jaffe, is struggling to afford to raise her children
She said: “My rent is £2,000 a month, nursery £3,000. That’s £5,000 right there. I thought I had a good job taking home £2,600 a month after taxes, but apparently it’s not good enough.
“Yeah, it’s really tough. I feel bad about it because I feel like times when I should be enjoying the time with my kids, learning more about who they are, what they care about, what makes them tick. But I’m just preoccupied with like, how are we going to, you know, how am I going to pay our bills?”
Little Village CEO Sophie Livingstone says companies need to step up, and she hopes the influence of the princess will help.
Little Village CEO Sophie Livingstone
“I have no doubt that she will follow through and keep on it with businesses and keep holding their feet to the fire to make a tangible difference,” she said.
“This is just the beginning, in my view. What we need now is to see those commitments coming through, to see that action, because the time is now, the need has never been greater.
“So I’m really grateful to the princess for drawing attention to this. But it’s now time for business to follow through behind her.”
The report has been shared with No.10, the Department of Health and Department for Education, but those involved insist they will not be lobbying government for change, instead showing the societal impact that businesses can help drive.
A man has been arrested by police investigating a “significant” wildfire that triggered a major incident in Northern Ireland.
More than 100 firefighters and 15 fire appliances were deployed on Saturday to Sandbank Road, Hilltown, to tackle the blaze which is believed to have been caused deliberately, fire chiefs said.
Northern Ireland Fire and Rescue Service (NIFRS) said the fire had a front of approximately two miles “including a large area of forestry close to property”.
It was extinguished at 2.53am on Sunday and the major incident status lifted, the NIFRS said.
“The cause of this fire is believed to have been deliberate,” chief fire and rescue officer Aidan Jennings said.
The Police Service of Northern Ireland said on Sunday that a 25-year-old man had been arrested “on suspicion of arson being reckless as to whether life would be endangered, and non-related driving offences”.
“He remains in custody at this time as enquiries continue into the circumstances surrounding the fire,” the force added.
The wildfire on Sandbank Road, Hilltown. Pic: Sky Watch NI
More than 100 firefighters were at the scene of the fire. Pic: Sky Watch NI
Various fires erupted across England this week amid uncharacteristically warm and dry conditions for the time of year.
On Saturday, helicopters were deployed to tackle Scotland’s fourth wildfire this week, with police saying a blaze “which started in the Newton Stewart area has spread northwards and is expected to reach the Loch Doon area of East Ayrshire around 12am on Sunday”.
Police Scotland added: “As a precautionary measure members of the public are asked to avoid the Loch Doon area and anyone who may be camping in the area is advised to leave.”
Moors Valley Country Park blackened by fires this week
Elsewhere in England, Devon and Cornwall Police said they were assisting the fire service with temporary road closures on the A30 in the Bolventor area as they tackle “a number of fires” on moorland.
In Dorset, Moors Valley Country Park was forced to close after multiple wildfires broke out there on Wednesday.
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Wildfires spread across nature reserve
Separate incidents were then reported at Upton Heath in Poole on Wednesday, and nearby Canford Heath in the early hours of Thursday.
Friday was officially the warmest day of the year so far – with temperatures in the south of England reaching 23C (73.4F) – the highest since 21 September last year, according to the Met Office.
The weather conditions triggered a “severe” wildfire rating for parts of the UK on Tuesday.
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