MORE than 400 new childcare places are to be created across an East Lancashire borough as a council comes good on a promise of 'free care for all.'

Blackburn with Darwen Council has unveiled the first phase of a £15million project to create 17 children's centres across the borough.

A total of £4million will be spent on creating the first eight centres, which will include a total of 443 new child care places.

The guarantee of a free place for two-and-a-half hours of nursery education a day is the first time such a pledge has been made anywhere in Britain.

It is aimed at improving education standards and creating a better quality of life for future generations by encouraging parents to take advantage of additional services which will also be on offer at the new centres.

Each centre will offer a variety of services, including health provision, advice on benefits and other council services, libraries, counselling, breakfast clubs for school-aged children and support from social services.

What is on offer will vary from centre to centre depending on what local needs are.

The first phase includes creating centres in Shadsworth, Audley, Pringle Street, Accrington Road, Longshaw, Seven Trees, Roman Road and Green Lane, all Blackburn, and Lord Street, Darwen.

The Lord Street centre is already operating as a pilot scheme and has been funded using Government Sure Start cash, a pot of money set up to help pre-school children and families in deprived areas.

In total, £1.70million is coming from Sure Start, £1.02million from the Government's Neighbourhood Nurseries Initiative -- which encourages private sector operations to start -- £250,000 from the Single Regeneration Budget, which is regeneration money.

The council is putting in £1.1million of its own money. Support has also come from the Primary Care Trust.

Some of the centres will be built from scratch, while others will be attached to existing schools or nurseries. In some cases, private nurseries will be used to provide the council-funded day care.

Some existing day nurseries will close, but no compulsory redundancies will take place as a result.

Coun Sue Reid, executive member for social services, said: "Ensuring that children have the best possible start in life is one of the most important tasks for this council.

"The sort of start a child gets affects them throughout their life and has an effect on the borough as well. We have benefited in the past through Sure Start funding and this is the next step forward for us.

"The Government is supporting Children's Centres and they will provide much better services for more people."

A detailed report on potential funding, including possible extra cash from the Government's next round of Sure Start -- the fund which supports underprivileged pre-school children -- will be put to councillors in October.

The council first unveiled the plans last November, promising free care for all.