Helen Foster-Grime welcomes proposals for free childcare for every family.

6.00.00pm GMT Sun 30th Nov 2008

Helen with Liberal Democrat leader Nick Clegg MP

Children and parents in the North West will benefit from new proposals for free childcare for every family, claims a leading local Liberal Democrat.

Helen Foster-Grime, the Libdem's leading European Parliamentary Candidate for the North West of England, has welcomed the proposals, launched by Party Leader Nick Clegg, which offer parents:

· 19 months of paid parental leave, replacing current maternity and paternity leave arrangements. To get the maximum entitlement, parents will have to share the leave as no parent will be able to take more than 12 months

· Free and flexible childcare for children aged between 18 months and 5 years for 20 hours per week

· A commitment to improve the quality of childcare provision by expanding the role of children's centres as training institutions for local providers

"I am very pleased Nick Clegg has launched these proposals," said Helen "Paying for childcare is a real struggle for many parents, particularly when times are tough.

As we enter the recession, more parents are going to find themselves having to look for work or wanting a part-time job to bring in some extra money. The need for flexible and affordable childcare has therefore never been more urgent. These proposals offer real help to families in the North West.

Support for new fathers is currently very poor. Paid parental leave will give both parents in our region an opportunity to spend meaningful time with their newborn baby during those precious first months."

Nick Clegg said, "Britain is a long way off becoming a child-friendly country. Our childcare provisions are way behind most in Europe. They discriminate against workless parents and freeze fathers out of looking after their young children. What we need is a childcare revolution. Finding childcare that fits around a family's needs can be a real struggle for parents.

The Liberal Democrats want to make things easier for parents and give children the best start in life by providing free, good quality childcare for every family.

As a father of two young sons, I know what a struggle it can be for fathers to take time off work to spend with their newborn child. "

The proposals will be debated at the party's conference in March. European Parliament spokesperson for the North West , Helen added, " As a parent of 3 young children I have experienced first hand the difficulties families face. I will be vociferously backing Nick's proposals at the Harrogate Conference. The UK's childcare provisions are among the worst in Europe, its about time we caught up with the rest of the EU."