Steve Brine has reacted positively to news that a Conservative government would fund 30 hours of free childcare for all working parents of 3 and 4 year olds, which was announced as the Prime Minister David Cameron launched the Conservative manifesto.
Steve said: "I have done a lot of work on Early Years Intervention over the past five years, including with our excellent Home-Start organisationhere in Winchester, and it is clear that high-quality childcare has a lasting impact on their development and life chances.
"It is very much the 'age and stage' that Susie and I are at, and parents want to know they can rely on their children being safely looked after while they go out to work or fulfil other caring responsibilities.
"I am delighted that we have committed the next Conservative government to fund 30 hours of free childcare for all working parents of 3- and 4-year olds, worth £5,000 to each family. We've already extended the universal entitlement so that all parents can access free childcare for 15 hours a week; as can over a quarter of a million 2-year-olds from low-income families.
"In addition, it is great that to help families make their money go that bit further, from autumn 2015 tax-free childcare will be available to nearly 2 million households. Under the scheme, for every 80p parents pay for childcare costs, the Government will top up an extra 20p.
"And as well as making childcare more affordable, we've taken steps to make it more widely available to parents. We are encouraging more schools to offer nursery provision and to open from 8am to 6pm. We have also made it easier for schools to teach children under three by getting rid of the requirement to register separately with Ofsted if they want to do that."
While childcare was central to the manifesto there were a number of key announcements, including the raising of the tax threshold which will take all minimum wage earners working 30 hours a week out of income tax altogether.
But the Conservative candidate was candid in what he had hoped to see in the manifesto and pledged to fight for if re-elected on 7th May as the local MP; "I wanted to see the 2% commitment on defence in the manifesto and I also wanted to see a promise to drop the learning tax on sixth form colleges by making them exempt from VAT. That in particular would be big news for Peter Symonds and Barton Peverill serving this area.
"I am realistic however, and understand every pledge in a manifesto has to be paid for so understand why they couldn't be included this time. I would also like to have seen us name the date for that in/out EU referendum as many of us have been campaigning for. All of this gives me more determination than ever to get back in the House of Commons and argue for what I believe in within a re-elected Conservative Government."
Steve added: "The PM said this was The Good Life manifesto, and that is exactly what it is. It's a positive message and one that resonates both with my own 100% positive local campaign and the lives of so many people across Winchester &Chandler's Ford."
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