PARENTS are demonstrating ahead of tonight’s meeting of Wirral’s full council as they demand answers over plans to reduce the number of designated children’s centres.

Wirral Council carried out a review of children’s services from April 2014 to July 2014, with the results approved by the authority’s ruling cabinet last year.

Part of the plans are to reduce the borough’s 16 children's centres to four “hubs”, along with another four retained for outreach provision.

Under the plans, the remaining sites will either be transferred to schools for nursery care or the council will be forced to ask other organisations to take them over.

The authority is currently undergoing public consultation but many parents say they are “dissatisfied” that the original review was “not carried out properly” and the current consultation is “failing to provide answers to many questions”.

A report to September’s cabinet meeting said the current position of sustaining 16 designated children’s centres that “all deliver the core purpose offer is not viable”.

The authority is looking to cut £2m from the service’s current total budget of £6m.

Dozens of parents from Leasowe children's centre demonstrated outside Wallasey town hall over fears their centre will be closed. 

While children's centres were not discussed at Monday night's meeting, but parents confronted councillors as they made their way into the town hall to say they would be losing "vital services".

Liz Sheppard, whose two-year-old son Blake has used the centre since he was eight-months-old said parents will be forced to travel to Seacombe instead, which she said is impossible for many. 

"It's inaccessible for us. I did a case study for one of the parents who has three kids and it would cost £15 for her to get a bus from Leasowe to Seacombe. 

"It's ridiculous because you can only fit two prams, or one pram and a wheelchair on a bus and there won't be any more buses put on. 

"At the minute we can walk down to the road and be seen within minutes.

"We've already had a 20% cut in funding and now they want to impose a further 60% cut."

Wirral Green Party are supporting parents in their campaign for a “proper review” of children’s services, with Birkenhead parliamentary candidate Kenny Peers writing to Clare Fish, strategic director families and wellbeing, asking for her to investigate parents’ complaints.

Mr Peers said: “The council plan to make 67 staff redundant based on an Early Years Review that is not fit for purpose.

“If people are to lose their jobs it should be with the knowledge that no stone has been left unturned to safeguard those jobs, based on this review that clearly is not the case.”

A leaflet handed out to councillors as they arrive for tonight’s meeting at Wallasey Town Hall calls on them to “put their political differences aside and demand answers on our behalf”.

Announcing the consultation last month, Cllr Tony Smith, Wirral’s cabinet member for children and family services said: “Wirral’s children’s centres play a significant role in providing effective early childhood services for families and targeted services for those in need of additional support.

“The review of Early Years and Children’s Centre services, which took place earlier this year, recognises the important role the centres have to play in narrowing the equality gap and improving school readiness for some of our most disadvantaged youngsters.

“In putting forward this consultation, our aim is to get the views of as many people as possible to ensure that the services we offer, and the providers of those services, remain progressive and fit for purpose.”

Monday night's meeting saw the starting salary of Wirral's new chief executive set at £165,000.

Eric Robinson, Eric Robinson, who currently works at Staffordshire council, was appointed in February to take over the top job in Wirral. He will join the authority in April.

Councillors were asked to approve a deal which will see him start in the middle of the salary range -  which goes up to £175,000.

Bids were submitted by both the Tory and Lib Dem Group to reduce the pack package proposed by the authority's ruling cabinet but both amendments were lost.

Under the new salary, Mr Robinson could earn £175,000 a year – plus pension and other costs of 22% or £38,500.