CAMPAIGNERS urged meeting members to back the push to save Bolton's children's centres from closure.

Residents encouraged fellow attendees of this evening's Little Lever and Darcy Lever Area Forum meeting to sign petitions to extend the consultation and to attend rallies and lobby the ruling Labour executive, led by Councillor Cliff Morris, to halt the move.

Just this morning the latest in a series of demonstrations against the planned cuts - expected to be the largest rally yet - was held outside Little Lever Children's and Young People's Centre in Herbert Street, Little Lever.

Under the controversial proposals, Little Lever Children's and Young People's Centre would be relocated into Mytham Primary School in Mytham Road, Little Lever, while the Leverhulme Children's Centre, an extension to Leverhulme Park Community Club in the park, would shut.

Neil Duffield, a member of Darcy Lever Residents' Association, said: "We attended the Leverhulme Children's Centre protest a few weeks ago and we spoke to people going in and out and everybody was against the closure of the centre.

"I would encourage everybody who values all the children's centres to write to Cliff Morris and say: Don't shut our children's centres."

Another contributor to the meeting, held at St Stephen and All Martyrs C of E Primary School in Darcy Lever, said the centres provided a place for parents with children to meet midwives and was important locations where women especially could inconspicuously meet domestic violence support workers.

All three of the ward councillors told the meeting they opposed the plan to close the children's centres.

Under the proposals, 13 buildings would no longer host children's centre services and the council's Family Support, Early Years and Childcare and Children’s Centre services will be merged into a new ‘Start Well’ service.

New teams will operate from seven replacement Start Well community hubs across the south, north and west areas of the borough.