Professor Susan Balloch of the University of Brighton will be interested to know

the Government's National Childcare Strategy certainly is reaching those who need it most (The Argus, February 5).

Nine hundred fifty-place neighbourhood nurseries are being set up across the country in areas of disadvantage. Brighton and Hove has received more than £1 million to provide 240 such nursery places offering day care by 2004. Seventy of these places are due to open in the New Deal for Communities area.

The city's Early Years Partnership, which is co-ordinating this expansion, is evaluating the applications from interested providers. It is certainly intended that these nurseries will closely reflect the needs of their communities and help parents access training and employment as well as offering advice on the range of tax credits available to help with childcare costs.

Childcare is one of the fastest growing sectors in the labour market, with 250,000 more workers than in 1997. The national strategy is funding a recruitment campaign for 150,000 more. Low pay and status is still an issue and that is why the council is so pleased to be working with the University of Brighton on some valuable research.

-Coun Gill Mitchell, Lead Councillor, Early Years and Childcare, Brighton and Hove City Council