Parent's have slammed calls to raise term time holiday fines proposed by one councillor.

Conservative councillor Kathy Hodson said fines for parents should be "so prohibitive" they don't take their children out of school for holidays during term time. At a meeting of the Wirral Council children and education committee, Cllr Hodson said there has been a "cultural shift in how parents perceive school," adding: "When I was little, you just wouldn't dare not go to school in term time."

She said: “If you’re going to try to get a handle on this, you’re probably going to have to make the fee for not attending schools so prohibitive that the cost of the fine would be far more than the cost of a holiday.

READ MORE: Merseyside Police special constable sacked over £55,000 school fees debt

READ MORE: 'Wonderful' and 'warmest' dad dies suddenly while moving house

“If you reduce the fees and if children don’t go to school, it doesn’t really act as a deterrent.”

Currently, parents can be fined £120 if they take their child out of school during term time without the proper permission, which is halved to £60 if paid within 21 days. The fines have been controversial for some time, and are unpopular with many parents who would rather sacrifice the time in school due to the "extortionate" price of holidays during the allotted holiday periods.

Many parents have slammed the idea of raising the fees to make them cost more than a holiday. On Facebook, Alison Cookson said: "Well the price of holidays needs to drop then during the school holidays. The prices are extortionate and it's out of sheer greed."

Ali James said: "Instead of punishing parents for doing the best they can to afford holidays for the kids, why not launch a national campaign to challenge the UK tourist industry for rip off prices in school holidays?"

Alex Kitching said: "They should be looking at a system for parents to take their children out of school for two weeks each year for holidays. That way the cost of holidays would almost certainly even out. Unlike now where during school holidays prices are extortionate"

Julie Walker said: "They should be fining holiday companies for hiking prices up in school holidays."

One person commented: "I don't agree 100% with taking kids out of school [during term time] but there should be a clamp down on companies taking advantage. Not everyone has the luxury off going on holiday during half term etc."

Don't miss the biggest and breaking stories by signing up to the Echo Daily newsletter here