Families hit by steep rises in holiday prices are being urged to take part in a consultation on plans to change the academic year to make breaks more affordable.

Brighton and Hove City Council is proposing a shake-up of its school holiday dates to help hard-pressed families who are faced with rocketing vacation prices.

The high cost of holidays during school breaks often leaves families with the dilemma of whether to pay more, or take their child out of school and run the risk of a fine.

The city council is looking to vary the start and finish dates of the three terms to create a week's holiday in what is currently term time.

Officials hope the idea could allow parents to buy a cheaper holiday without taking their child out of class during term time, and help those who work in peak holiday times.

A consultation on the proposals is running on the authority's website until May 20 before the responses are considered at a committee meeting in June.

It is expected the committee will either propose to change the academic year or agree to leave it in its current form in the seaside city.

Councillor Tom Bewick, chair of the council's children, young people and skills committee, said: "If there is something we can do to offer lower-income families in particular the chance to take holidays that would otherwise be unaffordable then I think it's worth exploring.

"We're keen to hear the views of parents, pupils, teachers, trade unions and other interested parties who might be affected.

"Ultimately our plans are about offering more flexibility for parents throughout the year, while trying to respond to the fact that modern families come in all shapes and sizes."

An investigation by the Press Association last October revealed the number of fines given to parents for taking their children on holiday in term time has almost trebled in two years.

Figures obtained under the Freedom of Information Act showed that in the last academic year alone, at least 50,414 penalty notices were issued due to children being taken out of lessons for trips.

This is up 25% on the year before, when at least 40,218 penalties were given out, and up 173% from the 18,484 fines handed out by local authorities in 2012/13. These figures cover 71 councils that provided data for all three years.

The hikes came in the wake of a Government crackdown on absence, including strict new rules on term time holidays introduced in England.

Brighton and Hove City Council sets the academic year dates for community, voluntary-controlled and community special schools.

For foundation and voluntary aided schools, this is done by governing bodies. And for academies and free schools, it is done by the trust that runs the school.