Family and children services at two centres in Kent have been saved from the axe but only for a year.

The Millmead centre in Margate and Seashells in Sheerness feared they would lose funding when their contracts expire at the end of March.

Staff and supporters were "pleased and relieved" when a decision today (March 13) by Kent County Council to decommission the services was effectively reversed.

More than a dozen people packed the public gallery at County Hall in Maidstone to hear a debate which ended the nine-month-long saga.

But the centres will now have to negotiate the terms of the funding and how much they are likely to receive to provide "family hub" services.

Jim Duncan, chief executive of Seashells, said: "It's good news but there are still a few question marks. So, we're very happy that the cabinet member has agreed to fund Seashells for the next year but we don't know much we are getting and we don't know if there will be any funding afterwards."

KCC had hoped to shave around £425,000 off its budget by decommissioning services at the centres and placing them elsewhere in the same area.

The hubs are used to provide support, advice and skills to parents with children in two of Kent's most-deprived areas.

Critics argued the alternatives were either too far away or could not provide the same quality of offer as the established centres.

The Tory-led KCC cabinet deferred the matter until March 13 so that members of the full council could debate the issue again with more information before them.

The council’s cabinet member for children’s services, Cllr Sue Chandler, officially announced the decommissioning on January 17 with the contracts officially coming to an end on March 31.

But she told members today that money had been released from the family hub grant pot for those services to be provided at the two centres.

Asked later if it was full funding for all services, Cllr Chandler replied: "It is funding for family hub services from their centres. The specifics of finance will be dependent on the services on the family hub services those centres want to deliver.

"There has to be a discussion on what they wish to deliver to their families and we will then fund accordingly."

Independent councillor for Margate and staunch supporter of the Millmead centre, Barry Lewis told full council: "It's been nine months of hard labour, especially for me. In 50 years of campaigns and eight years of being on the council, this is my proudest moment.

"I fought the original decision to close the Millmead centre and now we are at a stage where it's not a knock-out but a win on points."

Cllr Lewis said later he was "pleased and relieved" after months of "constant" campaigning for Millmead.

A motion for Cllr Chandler's funding solution tabled by Cllrs Andy Booth and Ros Binks was passed by 57 votes to two.

Cllr Mike Whiting, independent member for Sheppey, said there are still unanswered questions arising from today's announcment.

He added: "I am pleased with the result, obviously, and this is a signal the two centres will be able to provide those essential services that we have been fighting for all these months.

"It's now a negotiation between KCC and the centres so that they can carry on serving their local populations."

Ian Townsend-Blazier, head of development at Seashells, said: "It's a quick fix for the council. But, having said that, it amounts to a year's worth of funding that we didn't think we were going to get.

"KCC know they were wrong and Sue Chandler can walk away not losing face."

Before the meeting, in an open letter, the Bishop of Dover, the Right Reverend Rose Hudson-Wilkin, urged KCC to "reconsider their decision and find the necessary funding", adding: "Seashells is more than just a service provider, it's a lifeline for vulnerable families."