Holiday childcare promised 5.5m in funding

Children's minister Dawn Primarolo said that the pilot schemes, for children aged five to 14, will run for one year and aim to give the Government and local authorities a better understanding of what works best for parents during the holidays.

Supported by charity 4Children, the DCSF will work with the 19 local authorities to help improve awareness of provision, increase take-up and improve strategic management and co-ordination.

The pilot authorities are Darlington, Redcar and Cleveland, Stockport, Warrington, Calderdale, Rotherham, Nottinghamshire, Northamptonshire, Shropshire, Telford, Walsall, Norfolk, Oxfordshire, Portsmouth, Bristol, Cornwall, Ealing, Lambeth and Sutton.

Lee Partner, director of holiday and after-school club provider KOOSA Kids, said, 'I would support any extra funding to support holiday activities that ultimately make it more affordable and flexible for parents. However, it would be useful to see how local authorities intend to use the money and if it is genuinely intended to be made available for the long term. There is always the danger when you provide short-term financial support, that when the support is taken away, the fees naturally return to their original sustainable levels and the parents you attracted with the lower fees can once again no longer afford to use the care.'