Sure Start in Manchester to be saved?

The proposals come on the back of a three month consultation that involved more than 8,000 face to face meetings and attracted more than 4,000 written responses with parents, schools, health staff and others.

At the heart of the proposals is the need to ensure that mums and dads are better prepared and equipped to cope with the responsibilities of being parents; that youngsters in all households are ready for school by the time they start; and that more families in the city are ready and able to work.

Central to the proposals is the guarantee that all Sure Start Centres will remain open - and better use is made of them. As well as providing Sure Start services they will become community hubs offering a wider range of services to people of all ages, including early years services. A brand new citywide outreach service is also proposed.

Mike Livingstone, Director Children's Services, Manchester City Council, said: "Our analysis shows there is already enough good quality and affordable daycare provision across the city being provided by the private, voluntary and independent sector, so over time we will no longer need to provide it ourselves.

 "What we do need to do however is to ensure that the right kind of quality daycare is available in the right places, so we're going to spend the next two years making sure this happens. We will only stop providing daycare in different parts of the city when we are satisfied that there is enough high quality alternative provision to meet the needs of local families."

The proposals will be discussed at Children and Young People Scrutiny Committee on 7 February, before being considered by the Council's Executive on 15 February.