BOLTON council’s deputy leader said the proposed reduction in children’s centres is because of a government which “knows the cost of everything but the value of nothing.”

Cllr Linda Thomas said: “Children's Centres were an excellent development introduced by the last Labour government to create universal non-stigmatised provision for all young children and their families. The support and preventative services were designed to ensure all children got the best start in life alongside their peers.

“Despite massive cuts to our budgets, Bolton Labour Council has protected these services for the last six years but as the next round of Tory cuts of £44M hit we have had to shape the services in a very different way.”

Council to axe 13 children's centres in bid to save £1.5 million

In an emotional and impassioned statement, Cllr Thomas - who has a history of working with children's centres - added: “Sadly this government knows the cost of everything but the value of nothing. This has become very personal for me, as Children’s Centres are very close to my heart. It saddens me that we have reached this point and with more cuts to come we are getting down to the bone with vital services for young people.”