Latest news with #priceincrease
Irish Times
13 hours ago
- Business
- Irish Times
Parents face fee rise after Dublin childcare provider pulls out of ‘deeply flawed' core funding model
Parents whose children attend a nursery in Shankill, Dublin , face a steep monthly price increase as the centre plans to withdraw from a Government funding scheme, citing rising costs. In a letter sent to parents on Tuesday evening, Once Upon A Time, which operates several nursery and montessori schools across Dublin, said it has made the 'difficult decision to withdraw our Shankill Centre from the Core Funding model'. The company said the change will take effect from September 1st, resulting in fees increasing to €1,390 per month. 'This decision has not been taken lightly ... Please understand that this fee increase does not benefit us financially, it is solely to ensure we can continue to offer high-quality, dependable care to your children,' the email says. READ MORE The core funding grant was introduced by the Government in 2022 to assist early-learning and childcare providers with operating costs. In return for signing up to core funding, operators had to commit to a fee freeze . Many claimed they had already halted any increases due to the pandemic and other factors. A number of centres have already withdrawn from the scheme, blaming rising costs, and more are expected to follow suit. In the email sent to parents on Tuesday, Once Upon a Time said: 'We have delayed action for the past two years in the hope that much-needed reforms would be made to the core funding model ... However, despite strong advocacy from Early Childhood Ireland, Ibec, Federation of Early Childcare Providers and Once Upon a Time, no meaningful changes have been introduced to make this model financially sustainable for private full-day care services like ours. 'We have now exhausted all efforts in our attempts to encourage the Department of Childcare [sic] to change course in relation to [core funding].' The email says the core funding model is 'deeply flawed' and 'traps services in outdated, frozen fee structures while the cost of delivering quality childcare has continued to rise'. Once Upon a Time told parents it 'fully' supports pay increases for its staff but cannot afford to pay these and other expenses without increasing fees. Once Upon a Time runs several centres across Dublin but the email states that its Shankill branch is the only one due to be withdrawn from the scheme at present. However, the email notes: 'We are implementing a phased withdrawal from the model, beginning with our centres where fees are furthest below market rate.' Elaine Dunne, chairwoman of the Federation of Early Childhood Providers, said she is aware of many centres across the country that will probably withdraw from the scheme in the coming weeks. Ms Dunne said centres are doing this 'because they have to, they have no choice – the core funding has failed them'. She said childcare centres in Dublin typically have the highest costs but services will be affected all over the country. 'It's not just Dublin that this is going to hit. We're seeing a lot of people saying that they're going to be left with no choice [but to withdraw] ... If you can't pay your bills, if you can't support your staff wage increase, if you can't do any of that, you're left with no choice at this point but to pull out of core funding.' Ms Dunne said stakeholders in the sector are engaging with Minister for Children Norma Foley and officials in her department about the issue, but changes must urgently be made to the model. 'Somebody in Government needs to listen. There needs to be real consultation,' said Ms Dunne. The Irish Times has contacted Once Upon a Time and the Department of Children for comment. Under recent maximum childcare fee caps announced by the department, from September onwards the highest possible fees will be no more than €295 per 40 to 50-hour week placement. A parent being charged the maximum permissible fee of €295 per week is entitled to receive the universal National Childcare Scheme subsidy of €96.30, meaning their payment would be no more than €198.70 per week, the department said last month. Speaking at the time, Ms Foley said: 'The extension of maximum fee caps to all services participating in core funding will reduce costs for families facing the highest fees in the country. 'It is another step along the way to achieving the commitment in the programme for government to a maximum payment by parents of €200 per child per month for early learning and childcare during the lifetime of this government." State funding for early learning and childcare providers through core funding is being increased by €60 million for the 2025/2026 period, bringing it to more than €390 million.
The Verge
3 days ago
- Business
- The Verge
Checking in on Shein prices under Trump's tariffs.
US tariffs: how Trump's tax is hitting Big Tech and beyond See all Stories Posted Jul 28, 2025 at 3:12 PM UTC Checking in on Shein prices under Trump's tariffs. Reuters tracked a sampling of Shein prices from April to July and — surprise! — items are now more expensive. Prices spiked in April following Shein's pre-announced price increase and then dipped slightly, Reuters found. Now they're creeping back up: a $31 order in April would have cost $69 last week. How price increases are adding up at Shein [ Follow topics and authors from this story to see more like this in your personalized homepage feed and to receive email updates. Mia Sato Features Writer, The Verge Posts from this author will be added to your daily email digest and your homepage feed. See All by Mia Sato Posts from this topic will be added to your daily email digest and your homepage feed. See All News Posts from this topic will be added to your daily email digest and your homepage feed. See All Online Shopping Posts from this topic will be added to your daily email digest and your homepage feed. See All Policy Posts from this topic will be added to your daily email digest and your homepage feed. See All Politics Posts from this topic will be added to your daily email digest and your homepage feed. See All Tech
BreakingNews.ie
7 days ago
- Automotive
- BreakingNews.ie
ESB raises public EV charging prices with further increases likely in October
ESB's e-Cars electric car charging subsidiary has announced that it's increasing the cost of charging an electric car using public infrastructure by 7c per kWh on all of its plans. The semi-state company has said that the price increases come 'in response to sustained increases in operational costs and electricity network charges absorbed by ESB e-Cars in recent months. The new pricing supports continued investment in the public EV charging network and the rollout of high power chargers, ensuring a robust and future-ready EV charging infrastructure.' Advertisement It went on to say: 'ESB remains committed to offering service and value to its customers. The new prices will remain competitive in the marketplace, particularly for customers using fast and high-power chargers.' Those prices will likely rise again in October. Currently, public EV charging enjoys a reduced nine per cent VAT rate, but this is set to return to the standard 13.5 per cent VAT rate on October 31st this year. The price increases now mean that electric car users will pay 59c per kWh for slow 7-22kW AC charging, 64c per kWh for faster 50-150kW DC charging, and 66c per kWh for very fast DC charging above 150kW. Notably, you pay the same for each charging speed regardless of the actual charging power delivered to your car's battery on a given day, which is variable depending on the condition of the battery, the power that's actually reaching the charging point from the grid, and the local ambient temperature. Advertisement Those prices are for the 'Pay As You Go' plan, but they can be defrayed somewhat by signing up for the ESB's monthly subscription, which costs €4.79 per month. This brings down the cost of charging to 54c per kWh for slow chargers, 59c per kWh for fast chargers, and 61c per kWh for very fast chargers. These are not the most expensive prices for public charging. IONITY charges 73c per kWh, without a subscription, for its very fast 350kW chargers, but that can be reduced to just 53c per kWh with a €5.99 monthly subscription. The increase in ESB e-Car's charging costs means that EV drivers will pay more for each top-up. Taking the best-selling electric car of the moment, the VW ID.4, and assuming that it's the model with the 77kWh battery, it means that you will pay €40 for a 10-100 per cent top up from a slow kerbside charger, €34 for a 10-80 per cent charge from a fast charger, and €37 for a 10-80 per cent charge from a very fast charger. There has been no change to the 'overstay' fees, which penalises drivers who need to get a longer, fuller charge and which costs 50c per minute apply after 45 minutes of charge on fast and high power chargers, and after 10 hours of charge on standard charge points, up to a maximum penalty of €22.50. Advertisement The overstay fee has often been referred to as a tacit admission that there are not enough charging points in the country, as it encourages drivers to charge and move along, freeing up the charging point. The increase in prices for public charging comes at a time of fraught debate about those without access to off-street parking where they can install a home charging point. The best current night time rate for electricity stands at 7c per kWh, albeit this is usually only available for around four hours at times of minimal demand on the network. Dublin City Council (DCC) has come in for criticism of late for forcing homeowners with no off-street parking to remove 'charging arms' which guide charging cables up and over pedestrian's heads for kerbside charging. DCC has consistently refused to reply to queries as to its official policy when it comes to providing solutions for those who want to switch to electric motoring but who don't have off-street parking. Advertisement Cork City Council, however, did reply to such questions, stating that: 'It is planned to roll out the planned electric vehicle charging infrastructure on a phased basis in line with the projected growth in electric vehicles on our roads. It is likely the first tranche of infrastructure will be in place in 2026. The strategy does not make provision to allow private electric vehicle charging cables either in pavement or overhead to be installed across public footpaths or roads to facilitate home charging.'
ABC News
24-07-2025
- Business
- ABC News
TasWater proposes almost 40pc price hike over four years to fund infrastructure upgrades
Average Tasmanian households are facing a nearly 40 per cent hike in their water bills over four years in what is being dubbed a "major blow" to those struggling with the cost of living. TasWater has released a new Price and Service Proposal, which has flagged a yearly price increase of 8.8 per cent from 2026 to 2030. Its proposal would need to be approved by the Tasmanian Economic Regulator, which may send it back for changes before it is implemented. TasWater said the average household would pay an annual bill of $1,407 in the next financial year, rising steadily to $1,929, or a $522 increase, by financial year 2030. TasWater's general manager of customer and community, Matt Balfe, acknowledged the decision would not be popular, but said the state's sewerage network needed significant investment. "This is a network that spills too often, that is discharging to the environment in an unacceptable fashion," he told ABC Radio. "Unfortunately, the investment required is large. We're looking at $1.7 billion over the next four years." Tasmania's Council of Social Services (TasCOSS) chief executive Adrienne Picone said the proposed hike would put more pressure on household budgets. "Significant increases in the price of water and sewerage services could contribute to higher rents and water costs for private rental tenants, whose landlords have the option to pass on the increased costs," she said. Ms Picone called on the state government to provide more support to those living on low incomes.
CBC
24-07-2025
- Business
- CBC
Rising cocoa prices leave bitter taste for chocolate makers
Chocolatier Anne Sellmer, owner of Cochu in Calgary's East Village, says since opening her store in 2016, the steady rise in the price of cocoa has caused a 200 per cent increase in her chocolate budget.
