Published: Wednesday, 27th January, 2010 2:00pm

'Our tots are not cash cows'

FURIOUS parents - protesting against a hike in childcare charges - are dressing their children up as COWS to lobby councillors tonight (Wednesday).

Elected members will be met by around 30 mums and dads from the Nursery Action Group (NAG), as well as the group's kids kitted out in costumes, at the full meeting of West Dunbartonshire (WDC) Council in Clydebank Town Hall.

The parents have accused WDC of using their kids as "cash cows" to "milk money" out of them.

The NAG has responded to a controversial council decision which could see some of them having to pay more than double the amount they are paying now for childcare cost from February 1.

Teacher Nicola Fraser, a member of NAG and a Dalmuir mum-of-two, planned her family carefully so her new baby, which was born last week, would not be going into nursery care until her elder daughter was three and entitled to 12.5 hours of free childcare a week.

Under the new charges she will face a bill of £572 a month for both children instead of £311 during term time, and during schools holidays it will increase to £767, when she will have previously paid £460.

Karen Anne Bradley, 31, helped set up NAG and says she will need to find an extra £400 every month to pay her bills.

The mum, whose three-year-old daughter Abigail goes to a West Dunbartonshire nursery, said the cow costume idea cropped up at the NAG's second meeting on Thursday.

She said: "Paul Lynass, one of the parents, said the council is milking our children and using them as cash cows.

"The idea stuck so we thought why don't we dress our kids up as cows for when we picket the councillors?

"It will look really funny and it makes a good point."

Karen added: "We are hoping around thirty parents will be there to picket the council offices and we're going to take our petition and hand it over and show them how unhappy we are.