A vital children’s centre in Canterbury used by hundreds of families is facing closure as part of a cost-cutting drive by the county council.

The authority wants to move the services out of the Riverside Centre in Kingsmead, claiming it can offer higher quality provision and save money.

But doubt is being cast on its claims that users will still be able to easily access the services elsewhere in the district.

Scroll down for video

Riverside is the largest of all the children’s centres in the city and serves a wide catchment area, including several outlying villages.

It is used by more than 800 families, many of them deprived, and offers a range of services including language and communication development, parenting and health advice for new mums and babies, and play sessions.

They are currently run by Canterbury City Council on behalf of KCC, but the cash-strapped county authority is recommending bringing them in-house to save £175,695 a year - a 63% saving.

It is claiming the current services will be offered at other centres in the district, including Wincheap, Chartham and Whitstable but Martin Vye, who is the independent chairman of the Local Advisory Board of Children’s Centres, has serious concerns that many families will not have the same access to services.

“We need a clear picture of how KCC would run the service for that huge catchment area because I would not want anything to jeopardise that work,” he said.

“There does not seem to be a plan in place and I am worried about how the needs of those families are going to be met.

“I am also worried and baffled by the fact there seems to have been no discussion between KCC and the city council, which runs the service on its behalf.”

Canterbury county councillor Ida Linfield is also worried families will not be able to access the same services if they have to travel.

“I learned at the beginning of December that KCC were thinking of cuts which will close Riverside Children’s Centre – but it was all ‘restricted information’, which cannot be discussed,” said the Lib Dem, who sits on the Children’s, Young People and Education Cabinet Committee.

“I spoke to one mum who hasn’t got transport who said ‘what good is that to me’?”

A final decision on the proposal will be taken at a later date.

The privately-run Busy Bees nursery, which uses the major part of the building, will not be affected.

Mums fear they will be “massively affected” if they are no longer able to access crucial support and services offered at the Riverside Centre.

Helen Catmull, 29, says the centre was a “godsend” for her when she suffered post-natal depression after the birth of her second son.

“I was too frightened to go to my doctors in case they took the kids off me but the clinic at the centre helped me get through it,” she said.

“It also helped me when I had breastfeeding problems. They offer so many services there that are vital to parents. I think a lot of mums are going to be massively affected.”

Miss Catmull, a mum of two young boys, lives in East Street with her partner. But she does not have her own transport and says she will not be able to get to alternative sites across the city and elsewhere.

“Buses are very expensive and I just wouldn’t be able to afford it,” she said.

“I wouldn’t be able to travel because bus fares have gone through the roof. It will leave a lot of parents with nowhere to go..." - concerned mum Helen Catmull

“I just think it’s very underhand how they have apparently been doing this behind closed doors without consulting parents and finding out the impact it will have on them.”

Also worried is Naomi McNally, 29, of St Stephen’s Road, who has a two-and-a-half year old son, Frank.

“There are so many good things going on for families there, especially those on low incomes, and it’s very affordable.

“I wouldn’t be able to travel because bus fares have gone through the roof. It will leave a lot of parents with nowhere to go.”

Kent County Council spokesman Suz Elvey says if it decides to press forward with the closure it will need to give the city council three months’ notice.

“Whatever decision is made, we will ensure families are able to access services through a variety of centres in the Canterbury district, some of which they will already be visiting for other reasons anyway,” she added.

“Riverside is one of six children’s centres commissioned by KCC. However, only about 20% of the building is used by the children’s centre, the rest is used by a private nursery. Other groups that use Riverside, that are not associated with KCC, would not be affected by any re-provisioning.

“KCC is dedicated to ensuring high quality Early Help and Preventative Services are available to families throughout Kent.

"We believe that by bringing the provision in-house we can offer a higher quality of provision as well as achieving greater value for money for the tax payer.

City council deputy chief executive Velia Coffey says the authority heard of the plans “late in the day”.

“At this stage we are not fully clear what the impact will be, but it is proposed that existing services will be relocated and delivered at other children’s centres and community centres,” she said.

“We are now speaking to KCC about the implications of the proposal that they are minded to make and the effect this will have on the Canterbury families that enjoy children’s centre services at Riverside.”