MORE than 30 parents and youngsters staged a high-profile demonstration outside Bury Town Hall ahead of a crunch meeting over the future of seven children’s centres threatened with closure.

Many of the protesters waved placards and chanted “save our centres” before attending a cabinet meeting to quiz councillors during a lively 45-minute public question time.

They were angry at proposals which could lead to seven children’s centres across the borough being shut and converted into nurseries for two-year-olds.

Last Wednesday night’s demonstration was organised by the newly launched Save Bury Children’s Centres group which has 800 members on Facebook and Twitter.

Councillors agreed that the proposals should have a 12-week consultation with centre users, staff and partners. A decision is expected to be made in December.

The Labour-controlled authority is proposing to save £828,000 by axing 11 full-time staff and converting children’s centres.

Under new legislation Bury Council must offer free 15 hours of nursery care for 38 weeks a year to 1,177 two-year-olds. But there is a shortfall of 687 places in the borough.

The seven children’s centre sites, six of which are based at primary schools, are located at: Ramsbottom; Daisyfield and Moorside in Bury; Butterstile in Prestwich; Toodle Hill in Whitefield; and High Meadow and Stepping Stones in Radcliffe.

If the proposals are given the go-ahead, it will also mean that Tottington Children’s Centre in the library will close as it is deemed unsuitable to be converted to a nursery.

Bury has 14 children’s centres. Under the proposals there will be five children’s centre hubs and one “spoke” which will deliver targeted services to the most vulnerable families and focus on improving health, child development and families’ economic prospects. It could mean children from better-off families would not be able to attend.

The five hubs and one “spoke” would be: Woodbank with Elton children’s centre, Bury; Little Oaks children’s centre, Bury; Redvales, a “spoke” children’s centre, Bury; Coronation Road, Radcliffe; Besses in Whitefield; and Sedgley.

Among last week’s protesters was Helen Molyneux, aged 40, of Dundee Lane, Ramsbottom.

She said: “Since my 16-month-old daughter Annie was born, we’ve been going to the children’s centre in Ramsbottom every week.

"If that closes, then it means I’ll have to find a private place. I think the council’s proposals are very short-sighted. All the children’s centres provide such an invaluable service for the community.”

Mother-of-three Nicola Crook, aged 34, of Glenvale Close, Radcliffe, attends the town’s Stepping Stones children’s centre with her youngest child, two-year-old Madison.

“If that shuts, I’ll have to find an alternative. As far as I’m concerned, to close down children’s centres would be absolutely ludicrous and crazy. They would be shutting facilities which are really needed by local mums,” she said.

At the cabinet meeting, Council leader Cllr Mike Connolly was asked by one of the protesters why the authority was making cuts to its children’s services.

The local authority faces making savings of £16 million, said Cllr Connolly, and added: “It’s not just cuts in children’s services but across all other areas of the council. Things cannot stay the same.”

Cllr Gill Campbell, cabinet member for children and young people, said: “We will be consulting with community groups, stakeholders and township forums. We will be going out to the community to talk to people.”

Save Bury Children’s Centres” has set up an online petition which can be accessed by visiting Facebook.com/pages/Save-Burys-Childrens-Centres.

Autumn DePoe-Hughes, from Prestwich, who launched the pressure group, said after the meeting: “Although the council is having a consultation, I think they’ve made their minds up already.”