A CHILDREN’S centre campaigner said the Government was ‘giving with one hand and taking with the other’ as it gets set to roll out more free childcare. 

Early Years minister Caroline Dinenage visited two nurseries in Oxford on Thursday. 

She dropped in at the Co-operative Nursery, in Rose Hill, and at the new Old Station Nursery, at Oxford Science Park, to meet staff and pupils.

From September, working parents of three and four-year-olds can get 30 hours free childcare, double the amount currently available.

It comes after the Government announced a record £6bn spend on childcare by 2020 including an additional £1bn on the free hours. 

Around 390,000 working families will be eligible for 30 hours free childcare from September. In most cases, their children are already in existing childcare places, which will become free.

Ms Dinenage said: “Early education is such an important part of making sure all young people are given the tools to achieve their full potential.

“That’s why we are supporting working parents of three and four-year olds by doubling our free childcare offer from 15 hours per week to 30, backed by our record investment of £6bn per year by 2020.

“For women up and down the country the cost of childcare is one of the biggest obstacles to returning to the market place.”

Mother-of-two Jill Huish, 34, from Banbury, had a mixed response to the news and said it would help her to return to work as a chef.

Ms Huish has been campaigning to save children’s centres across the county but 31 out of 44 face the axe due to county council funding cuts.

She said: “This is a welcome investment and will help mums return to work but it does smack of hypocrisy because the Government removed the ring-fencing for children’s centre funding – it’s giving with one hand and taking with the other.

“If the Conservatives want to invest so much in childcare then why not look again at the funding for children’s centres?

“This financial support will lead to an increase in demand for nursery places – the take-up will be greater.”

Ms Dinenage added decisions on how children’s centres were funded had been ‘devolved’ to the county council.

She added: “I am very keen on children’s centres and I know the Government is keen on children’s centres.

“We put the decision about how they operate into local areas.

“We made it clear that the decision about children’s centres should not be to the detriment of children and families.

“There is no point in having a lot of buildings if they do not have the services in them.”

Referring to the 30 hours’ childcare offer being rolled out in September, she added: “Making sure our children learn, develop and flourish at this critical time in their lives is vital – I’m privileged to be meeting so many dedicated early years staff who show such passion for their job in my visits around the country.

“The 15 hours a week offer has already made a massive difference to families.”

Mum-of-one Irene Blasco, 33, from Cowley, a marketing manager whose son Hugo, seven months, is starting at the Co-operative Nursery next week, said: “Any help with childcare funding can make a big difference to families.”

Teresa Palagano, area manager for The Co-operative Child Care in Oxfordshire, said: “This new scheme will help mums get back to work.

“We need to discuss the details of how it will be implemented with the county council at a meeting in the near future.”