The Bill had general cross-party support during its second reading in the House of Commons last week, but opposition parties raised concerns that local authorities would lack the money to provide sufficient childcare to meet the needs of working parents.
Theresa May, shadow secretary of state for the family, said, 'Once again we see the Government giving local authorities another job without giving them the resources to do it. Simply shifting the problem to local authorities without providing additional money will do little to solve the problem.'
Ms May also raised concerns over partnership working and said the Bill 'could mean closures for many nurseries'.
But children's minister Beverley Hughes said local authorities would only fill childcare gaps themselves as a 'last resort' and work with parents and providers to fulfil the sufficiency duty outside the local authority sector.
She quoted recent research from the National Day Nurseries Association which found 71 per cent of members were not involved in the children's centre programme.
But education secretary Ruth Kelly rejected the claims and said there were 'no new unfunded pressures in the Bill.'
Children's minister Beverley Hughes added that local authorities would only fill childcare gaps themselves as a 'last resort' and would work with parents and providers to fulfil the sufficiency duty outside the local authority sector.