THE ANNUAL cost of sending children to council-run nurseries could increase by hundreds of pounds a year for the hardest-hit families if new charges are approved.

Brighton and Hove City Council is considering introducing a new charging system for its six nurseries in the city from April in a bid to reduce the level of taxpayers’ subsidy for the service.

The new proposals, set to be discussed by the authority’s children and young people committee next week, would raise an extra £100,000 a year for the council and would also see some families’ nursery bills drop.

Opposition councillors said they have “grave concerns” about the rise which they fear would impact hardest on families on “modest incomes”.

Under the current charging system, parents pay £4.84 an hour or £48.40 per day at nurseries that provide three meals and two snacks a day. Alternatively, they pay £4.63 an hour or £46.30 per day for nurseries providing breakfast, tea and two snacks.

Under the new proposals, the council is looking to bring in one daily rate of £47.30 for all children to receive breakfast and snacks with an additional £2 charge for tea and/or lunch to cover the cost of the meals supplied.

A half day rate will rise from current charges of either £24.20 or £23.15 to £25 with additional fees for meals.

An increased hourly rate of £5 for children who attend one to four hours a day in addition to their free childcare is also being considered which would impact more than a third of families using the service.

The changes would affect parents who take their children to Bright Start Nursery in North Road, Brighton, Cherry Tree Nursery in Brentwood Road, Brighton, Acorn Nursery in Mile Oak Road, Portslade, Roundabout Nursery in Whitehawk Road, Brighton, Jumpstart Nursery in Hodshrove Lane, Brighton and Sun Valley Nursery in Whitehawk Way, Brighton.

Councillor Andrew Wealls, Conservative spokesman on the committee, said that parents living just above the low income threshold would suffer the most.

He added: “All administrations will have to make difficult choices, no matter who is in government.

“The Greens' choice here has been to charge much more for services rather than undertake the reforms in the way services are delivered that most local authorities across the country are making.”

Coun Anne Pissaridou, Labour’s committee spokeswoman, said she had “grave concerns” about the changes.

She said: “I am truly appalled that the Tory-led government is making such drastic cuts to local government funding, forcing councils around the country to make huge cuts to services families rely on.”

She added that mothers, such as her own daughter, would lose the support network of other mums if children’s centres closed or they were priced out of nurseries.

Coun Sue Shanks, chairwoman of the committee, said that the scale of government funding cuts had forced this move.