THE owner of two Swindon nurseries has voiced concerns about funding.

Jo Morris claims that nurseries in Swindon have been struggling in the year since a new government policy promised parents more hours of free childcare.

She's set up the group Champagne Nurseries Lemonade Funding to draw attention to the problem.

She said: “We’re allowed to ask parents to make voluntary contributions for meals, nappies, and things like that, but it’s not mandatory, which is causing a lot of problems.

“The amount of money the government has given us is not enough and I think funding is frozen until 2020.

"So, we've had to raise the price of these contributions and swallow our losses where we can.

"Playsteps is sustainable, but I know other nurseries have closed or are struggling because of this.

"We've had a very good dialogue with the borough council but this is a national issue.

"We have no problem with the government helping working families and the policy has been well-received but I think it's also been poorly explained.

"Nurseries provide 48 hours of childcare a week, but some parents aren't paying the costs for their services because they think it's all supposed to be free.

"It would be better if we went back to the old system where parents had vouchers and nurseries received subsidies."

All three and four-year-olds in England are entitled to 15 hours of free childcare per week during term time.

Since September 2017, parents can claim an extra 15 hours if they and their partner earn less than £100,000 a year.

In Swindon, there were seven fewer providers at the end of March 2018 than there were before the policy changed in September.

Any provider who cares for early years children must be registered with Ofsted.

In Swindon, there were 306 such providers on the register at the end of March 2018, 72 fewer than in March 2015.

This is one of the biggest drops in providers seen by any local authority in England.

Last year, the government invested £479,500 to four providers in Swindon, including Playsteps Nursery, to create more than 170 new childcare places.

South Swindon MP Robert Buckland said: “The overall picture is of an increase in funding – nationally, funding in childcare will go up to six billion in 2020.

“We’ve seen an increase in primary school places for pre-school children, which is great for continuity.

“There is a lot of pressure on hard-working families and these extra hours of free childcare help to alleviate that.

“I think the story has been a positive one for parents and their children, and I’d like to hear more details from childcare providers about their experiences."