ONE of the issues often raised with me on the doorstep is the cost of childcare.

For young families in particular these can be crippling and the problem is getting worse not better.

In the north west the cost of childcare for a child under two has risen by 39.6 per cent over the past five years.

Nursery costs for children over two have gone up even more, by an average of 52.6 per cent.

Of course, wages haven’t kept pace. Most people have received only a small increase or had the wages frozen so parents are struggling to keep their jobs and to balance work and family life.

The last Labour government made huge strides in improving childcare, increasing the numbers of places and opening new Sure Start Children’s centres to give the best possible start to young children and to help their parents.

Sadly, government cuts have led to many of these centres closing or to restrictions on the services they offer.

That’s why I’m supporting plans to increase the amount of free childcare from 15 to 25 hours for working parents with three and four-year -olds, paid for by an increase in the bank levy.

That will help many families where a parent wants to get back to work or to increase their hours.

But we have to do more than that.

We need to create more childcare places which we will do by doubling the number available at Children’s Centres, making sure they’re properly used rather than being mothballed.

We also need to help families with children at school, often the most difficult time because school hours don’t match working time.

That’s why I support the introduction of a legal guarantee that parents with children at primary school can access childcare between 8am and 6pm, through their local school.

People who are working hard and doing the right thing deserve support and help with childcare is one of the best ways to help them build a better life for themselves and their families.