FEARS that more than 40 chidren’s centres in Surrey could close, including three in and around Farnham, have been expressed by Liberal Democrat county councillors in Surrey.

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.

Concerns for the future of this service come after the “sudden departure” of Ben Byrne, former head of early help and family services at Surrey County Council (SCC).

Plans to reduce provisions were announced earlier this year by the council, however it has not yet been confirmed which of the 58 Surrey children’s centres face potential closure. Closures could leave families across Farnham without vital support services if Potters Gate Children’s Centre, Hale Sure Start Children’s Centre or Elstead and Villages Sure Start Children’s Centre are among those closing their doors.

Leader of the Lib Dems at County Hall, councillor Chris Botten, said: “With the future of 58 children’s centres in Surrey to be the subject of a consultation process in the autumn, the departure of Ben Byrne, a leading advocate for the service, worries me hugely.

“Surrey’s director of children’s services came from Essex County Council where there is only one family hub per district or borough run by Virgin and Barnado’s. If this model were to be replicated in Surrey over 40 children’s centres would close, severely depleting the support for vulnerable families across the county and putting at risk the rich diversity of our current provision, which is tailored to local needs.

“I am calling on families and their supporters to ensure that they rally to support their local service and help us fight to keep the best possible provision.

“Millions of pounds is to be cut from Surrey’s budget; but we say that the most vulnerable must be protected at all costs.”

As reported by the Herald in June, SCC has proposed to make cuts of £2.2million to the centres, according to an online petition submitted by Katy King of Katy King Speech and Language Therapy.

The petition called on the council to reverse planned budget cuts as “these centres are essential to making sure everyone gets a fair start in life”. It also stated that the “only outcome will be that vital support to families will have to be discontinued, increasing demand on the already struggling NHS”.

In response to the petition, which received 1,874 signatures, Surrey’s cabinet member for children, Clare Curran, said in July: “The aim of the children’s centre change programme is to retain the core offer that focuses on readiness for learning and narrowing the gap for the most disadvantaged, including the Healthy Child Programme.

“At present the change programme is in the first stage of current provider engagement, which it is planned to follow in September 2018 by a public consultation and a cabinet decision in January 2019.”

However, Surrey CC confirmed this week a date for the public consultation has not yet been decided.

Mrs Curran added: “Changes are not planned to be implemented before September 2019. As part of its medium-term financial plan, Surrey County Council has had to implement a 20 per cent reduction in its spending on Sure Start Children’s Centres.

“There are some underpinning principles within the change programme that aim to prevent loss of local provision for children and families in the areas of greatest needs while mitigating the potential loss of buildings in other localities through effective outreach.”

Hale Sure Start Children’s Centre is a full-time centre open all year round, offering a variety of services to families across Upper Hale, Hale and Heath End, and Badshot Lea who have children aged zero to five. Around 78 per cent of families within its reach area are registered with the service.

Stephen Spence, Farnham Residents county councillor for Farnham North, said: “Hale Children’s Centre provides breakfast clubs, play sessions, hosts clinics for mothers and babies, provides advice on child and family health, supports outreach on domestic violence and so much more, for the people of Upper Hale, Hale, Heath End, Weybourne and Badshot Lea, including some of the most vulnerable families in Surrey.

“It would be tragic if the prioritisation process in budget discussions did anything to put such vital services at risk anywhere in the county. “When the council has prioritised investing over £50million in the town centre redevelopment in Farnham, we also must prioritise investing in our kids and their families.

“People make places work. People are not going to be visiting retail outlets, let alone buying properties in new developments, if the services their children rely on cannot be delivered.”

Responding to closure fears, a council spokesman 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.

“This isn’t about individual buildings but making sure our children’s centres can be accessed by those who need them the most and we’ll be asking residents for their views on how we do that, however we’re at a very early stage and no decisions have been made yet.”