FIVE youth centres in Bury have been saved — but will be merged with a young people’s advice service.

It follows a U-turn by Bury Council after it initially planned to close the youth bases, or hand them over to voluntary groups.

The services will now be retained but will merge with Connexions, despite opposition from a lobby of young people who attended last week’s Executive meeting.

The moved to scrap some youth services was sparked by a bid to save £200,000 a year in the department.

Following a public backlash, council leader, Councillor Bob Bibby, formed a review group to look into the running of the New Kershaw Centre and Elton Youth Centre in Bury, the Radcliffe Y-Zone, the Shuttle Centre in Whitefield, and the Phoenix Centre in Prestwich.

A report before the Executive meeting proposed two viable options: keep the centres but make the savings by reducing frontline staffing capacity, equivalent to three full time youth workers; or merge youth services with Connexions, which would achieve further economies.

The public gallery, full of young people and representatives, expressed their wish to see the service remain the same and asked why, after a consultation exercise, they were not being listened to.

Cllr Diana Ashworth explained the reason a merger was favoured, saying: “We believe by taking forward the service merger, we will make the savings required, protect frontline workers and build on existing co-operation to create a more joined-up and effective service.”

Concerns were raised that not enough was known about how the merger will work but assurances were given that work is ongoing.

Cllr Bibby told the meeting the views given during the consultation had been taken on board and added: “Bury is going to suffer greatly over the next two years budget-wise but this service will be firmly in place and this secures its future.”

The recommendation to merge youth services and Connexions was approved and comes into effect on April 1.