Increasing childcare expenses will force parents to resign from their jobs and enroll in benefits because they can no longer afford to go to work, according to a mother.The 40-year-old Katie Glaze and her husband Ollie pay almost £1,400 a month for their two and five-year-old sons' three-and-a-half days of nursery care. Due to the budget's announcement of a rise in the minimum wage and employers' National Insurance contributions, the Dorset couple fears that additional hikes in childcare expenses may render it unsustainable.Ms Glaze, an associate director of sustainability for a company building “net zero” carbon sustainable schools, said she is seriously considering leaving her job and going on benefits in order to look after her children.

“I have never claimed any benefits in my life as I have never needed to because I have worked since I was 16,” she said.“I come from a working class family and have worked hard to get to the position I am in and I enjoy my job and I know how much it is needed.

“My job is tackling this and is about investing in our future. But due to the Government’s measures in the Budget such as putting up National Insurance for employers, nurseries are likely to put their costs up.“This increase is so shortsighted as it just seems to be a quick money grab and all it is going to do is mean the money the Government recoups on National Insurance will end up going on more working parents leaving their jobs and going on benefits – and there is a high chance my family will be among them.”Ms Glaze, whose husband works for the civil service, is the household’s main breadwinner.

She said she had already increased her workload to 30 hours a week because their nursery fees went up by seven per cent this year as a result of inflation.

“My husband has reduced his hours so we both work 30 hours each and juggle the remaining childcare between us,” she said.

“We don’t have any family living close to us and use a nursery and a childminder because of a lack of availability of childcare in the area.

“We had to put our youngest on the waiting list for nursery the week I found out I was pregnant before we had even told family because we knew their waiting lists were over a year long.”

Ms Glaze told i that even with the 15 free hours of childcare, their childcare bill is more than £1,400 a month for three-and-a-half days. On top of this, their mortgage is £1,100 a month, so she says any additional fee rises will make it questionable whether it is worth her working.