A shortage of child care and the need to get more parents back into work has led to plans for a new, purpose-built children's centre in Bradford.

Bradford Council is proposing to create the centre on the site of a city primary school which closes in the summer and will be relocated.

The plans - if passed - would see the former St Philip's Primary School in Girlington transformed into a facility for babies and children aged up to five. Nearby St Edmund's Nursery would move onto the site and become a new children's centre.

Yesterday Bradford Council's early years manager, Robin Naylor, and headteacher of St Edmund's Nursery Anne Marie Merrifield met with residents from Girlington to discuss the proposed move of the nursery on Bingley street in Girlington to the site of St Philip's school on Washington Street.

Children's centres like the one proposed for Girlington are a Government initiative for the most disadvantaged areas across the country.

They will offer child care and early education, health services and family support. They will also have links with organisations such as Job Centre Plus and schools.

Mr Naylor said: "On the new site the nursery could provide all the Children's Centre services. The advantage would be that all the services would be available under one roof and this would make them far more accessible to families with children aged nought to five."

The Council is currently working on figures to establish the cost of the venture and how many additional child care places could be provided in the area.

"We are hoping to receive a large chunk of the £3 million on offer from the Government to fund the building and running costs," said Mr Naylor.

The overall objective of Children's Centres is to enable parents to return to work and reduce unemployment in disadvantaged areas. The centres would provide child care suitable for working parents, five days a week, 48 weeks a year, ten hours a day, for babies and children until they reach school age.

The nursery would be open to everyone, including families from outside the area.

Services would also be geared towards providing special needs care for children with disabilities.

Key aspects of the centre would also be to ensure that new parents receive a visit within two months of their child's birth to offer advice on parenting skills.

The centre also hopes to work with families to increase the involvement of fathers in their children's upbringing.