FAMILIES across Farnham could be left without vital support services if proposed cuts to children’s centres are made.

According to an online petition, Surrey County Council (SCC) has proposed to make cuts of £2.2million to children’s centres.

The centres offer support to all children, parents and carers from pregnancy through to primary school, and are especially used by families during times of need.

The petition, which was submitted by Katy King of Katy King Speech and Language Therapy, is calling to reverse the planned budget cuts and currently has 1,851 signatures.

It states: “These centres are essential to making sure everyone gets a fair start in life. They are efficiently run, providing centralised resources in local communities, and making effective use of shared locations (such as school premises), shared time (such as allowing other groups to use the centres) and trained volunteers (such as Peer Supporters at the breast-feeding support service).

“More cuts can’t be matched by efficiency savings; the only outcome will be that vital support to families will have to be discontinued, increasing demand on the already struggling NHS.”

The petition warrants a response from SCC’s cabinet and is expected to be discussed at an upcoming cabinet meeting.

Potters Gate Children’s Centre is situated in the centre of Farnham and provides local families, who have children up to the age of five, with guidance and information on a huge range of subjects.

It offers parenting advice and information on benefits, adult learning courses and referral to a wide range of other services and support, as well as free early years play sessions. There are currently 689 families registered to this centre.

Jayne Venables, head of the centre and executive head of Potters Gate C of E Primary School and St Andrew’s C of E Infant School, said: “Children’s centres have offered under fives and their families a universal provision for preparing children for the challenges at school.

“It is financially short-sighted to propose to reduce this valuable resource, which has supported and closed the gap for so many children, especially from disadvantaged families.”

A SCC spokesperson said: “We’re under huge financial pressure but this presents an opportunity to truly transform public services and shape them around the modern needs of residents, maximising the services they can access conveniently while minimising the cost to the local taxpayer.

“In doing this, and with significant savings needed from children’s centre budgets due to rising need for our care services and falling government funding, we’re working with other councils, voluntary groups, charities and local people to reinvent the way we offer community and health services for families and young people so children, especially those who need us most, get the best possible start in life. However, we’re still at the early stages of this work.”