REGIONAL Development Agencies (RDAs), like the one in the North West, should be placing a higher priority on boosting local available childcare, according to the TUC (Trades Union Congress).

RDAs are currently rewriting their regional economic strategies at the insistence of the Department for Trade and Industry and the TUC wants access to childcare to play a much greater role in the revised strategies.

RDAs already support productivity projects on workforce development, investment and R&D via direct and match funding. In many instances, RDAs act as a regional hub of social partnerships, so they are ideally placed to spread best practice, host awareness raising events, sponsor company projects and encourage SMEs (small/medium-sized enterprises) in pooling resources. That's the view of the TUC.

Its North West regional secretary, Alan Manning, said: "Regional economic development is about creating the regional economy of the future, which means adapting struggling industries, developing workers' skills and nipping problems in the bud before they slow the economy down.

"Local access to childcare is just the sort of issue that will damage our productivity and cause skill shortages if it is not prioritised soon. Lack of affordable childcare remains a headache for many working parents, particularly women.

"As a result, many women are not given the choice of returning to work, which drains valuable skills and experience from our

economy."

Government figures show major variations in the supply of and demand for childcare. Nationally, 47 per cent of families say there are not enough childcare places while the figure for the North West is 43 per cent.

The cost of childcare also varies significantly between regions. Figures from the Daycare Trust say the typical weekly cost for a two-year-old is £120 for in a nursery and £113 with a childminder. In this region, the figures are £103 and £96 respectively.