Grandparents are great. They are there to offer advice to new parents, to spoil the children rotten – and increasingly, they are there to provide childcare to hard-pressed mums and dads.

It’s a rare family that does not depend to a greater or lesser extent on grandma and granddad lending a hand to look after the youngsters these days.

In fact, they do so much, they deserve official recognition, financial recompense and even “granny leave”, a charity has suggested.

It’s no surprise that the public is right behind the idea of giving State support to extended family members who help mothers and fathers cope with child care, or that people think employers should allow them time off to fulfil these duties.

After all, nurseries and crèches are expensive, and meeting the cost of official childcare will be getting more and more difficult during the current recession.

And if the Government and employers had the resources to meet the demand, it would be money well spent.

But do they really have the cash and the time to spare? The Government has banks to bail out as well as trying to fund the services it currently provides for the people of our country.

Would those supporting the idea of granny benefits be prepared to pay extra tax to make the idea a reality? Would workers be prepared to take the strain that inevitably comes when colleagues take time out?

And could their companies, already struggling to stay in business during the economic downturn, really find the cash necessary to fund the cover that might be needed for those on “granny leave’?

If the answer to these questions is yes, then we’re all in favour of official support for grandparents. But until the resources can be put in place to back the principles, we fear grandma and granddad will have to keep doing it for love – just as they always have.