AT FACE value, the motivation behind the government’s policy to ensure each three and four-year-old child in the country gets 15 hours of free childcare a week is a laudable one.

On the positive side it gives parents the chance to work and earn and also goes someway towards making costs of childcare more affordable since it can take up a large chunk of the family budget.

But driving an independent institution such as The Shambles Nursery School to the point where it has to close is obviously a step in the wrong direction.

There must be a way the government can help parents without forcing nurseries to miss out on the cash they need to be a viable business. Clearly the current system is flawed.