Playtime’s over for some as a council could axe more than £60,000 from the activities it runs for children during the school holidays.

Swingeing cuts put forward lask week by Tonbridge and Malling Borough Council’s overview and scrutiny committee could see the authority no longer providing youngsters access to crafts, sports and arts and classes during the school holidays.

Last summer, Activate provided around 200 children with activities, while the Summer Play Scheme, run over 12 venues across the borough saw 1,416 attendances.

Both are run by the council.

But the proposals would see the council withdraw entirely from directly providing either scheme, saving £15,000 from the Activate budget and £47,000 from its Summer Play Scheme, run at a net cost of £120,000.

Instead it would provide £3,000 to support Activate, while setting aside £18,000 for the Summer Play Scheme.

The council is now on the lookout for other groups or companies who can run them.

It is hoped concessions will be kept for less fortunate families to use the facilities under the privatised schemes.

However, directly-provided play sessions could be retained in East Malling, Snodland and in Trench ward, Tonbridge, for 2016 if no organisations step forward to provide the facilities.

Currently the local authority needs to make save of £1.4 million, with additional potential cuts of £700,000 identified.

Councillors did consider upping the charge per child in order to recoup the council’s capital investment, but officers calculated this would make activities prohibitively expensive.

Cllr Allan Sullivan (Con), chairman of the overview and scrutiny committee, said the council faced difficult decisions through no fault of its own about what services it could afford to run.

He said: “We can leave no stone unturned when it comes to making savings.

“We have to do whatever we can to keep the council on an even keel through this difficult time.”

Proposals will go before cabinet on Thursday, February 11.