Providers of voucher schemes say that withdrawing the scheme will have a negative impact on childcare providers because it will make childcare less affordable.
The petition on the Number Ten website says, 'The UK lags behind the rest of Europe when it comes to helping working parents and this move would be a further step backwards. Penalising working families to help other families go back to work makes no sense at all.'
Alison Chalmers, director of KiddiVouchers, said, 'We believe that many parents would not be able to afford their current childcare arrangements without the help vouchers provide. If the result of withdrawing the voucher scheme is that parents stop using registered childcare, either through giving up work or by asking relatives and friends for help with childcare, there will be a knock-on effect on the income stream for childcare providers. Even for wealthier parents, the loss of vouchers will make care relatively more expensive.'
While welcoming the increase in the number of places for two-year-olds, the National Day Nurseries Association said it was essential that the majority of parents continued to receive Government support.
Chief executive Purnima Tanuku said, 'It is essential that funding this does not come at the expense of support for families more widely by making cuts to employer-supported childcare. This must not impact on those families who rely on existing support to afford the cost of childcare.'
Further information: http://petitions.number10.gov.uk/keepvouchers.