COUNCILLORS are accused of "back-pedalling" over plans to double the cost of childcare in Glasgow.

Last month the city administration increased the cost of childcare to £5 an hour from August 2019.

But today a committee is expected to vote through a proposal to expand free provision for households earning less than £30,000 a year.

New plans will see three and four-year-olds whose parents earn less than £30,000 get 900 free nursery hours - up from 800.

The increase in nursery fees comes as Glasgow puts plans in place to cope with a Scottish Government mandate to double free childcare provision by 2020.

Local authorities must provide 1140 free childcare hours a year for all children aged three and four and some aged two.

It will cost more than £54 million to implement in Glasgow, with funds coming directly from the Scottish Government.

Education bosses have been developing ways to make sure the city has enough staff to cope with the increase in hours, which will be introduced in stages.

Soryia Siddique, Glasgow Labour’s Education spokeswoman, said: “It is not even a month after the budget, and the SNP is already back-pedalling furiously on moves to punish working parents.

“Labour in Glasgow opposed this move, and short of the SNP scrapping the proposals entirely, we will continue to work to protect as many parents from this unfair and unjust policy.

“No parents have been asked about these proposals, and there has been no wider consultation.

“The proposals put forward at today’s City Administration Committee show that only Labour is committed to fighting for working parents in this City. Only Labour can continue the work of building a Glasgow for the many, not the few.”

Currently teacher to child ratios are 1:10 but with children staying in nursery for longer hours, the ratio will be increased to 1:8.

The council will have to create an additional 1150 early learning and childcare posts across Glasgow to deal with demand.

There are also plans to introduce 112 "graduate posts" in nurseries.

And catering provision must be increased to feed the extra pupils staying in nursery for lunch.

Last month a report from watchdog Audit Scotland warned of "significant risks" in the Scottish Government's plans with councils estimating the cost of implementing the scheme to be £1 billion while the government estimates £840 million.

It added: "In particular it will be difficult to increase the infrastructure and workforce to the levels required, in the limited time available.

"The Scottish government should have started detailed planning with councils earlier, given the scale of the changes required."

Glasgow has been introducing creative ways to plug the staffing gap, such as a recruitment drive for dads.

Council staff at threat of redundancy have also been offered the chance to retrain in childcare while mums from deprived backgrounds have been supported to train as childcare practitioners.

SNP councillor, Chris Cunningham, the city’s convener for education, skills and early years, said: “Glasgow early years provision is amongst the highest quality in the country and we are continuing to make it as accessible and flexible as possible to meet the changing demands of Glasgow’s families.

“A decision was taken at last month’s budget to increase nursery charges from the new term in August to make council charges more aligned with partnership provision as we all make a phased transition towards 1140 free hours for all three and four year olds and eligible two year olds by 2020.

“Our vulnerable and low income families will still benefit from additional hours with plans going forward to the City Administration Committee to make more free hours available in council nurseries across the city.

“We currently offer three and four year olds 800 free hours to families who earn £25,000 or less which is 200 hours more than the national entitlement.

"We are proposing to increase this to 900 hours and raise the threshold to families earning £30,000 or less.