Shropshire Council's children centres 'could be cut by half'

The centres offer childcare provision, midwifery services, help vulnerable children and have drop-in options

The number of children's centres run by Shropshire Council could be cut by half in a bid to save almost £900,000.

Sites in Oswestry, Ludlow, Whitchurch, Bridgnorth and two in Shrewsbury could shut, with some redundancies expected, the council said.

The centres offer childcare, help and support, but some are only used for a small part of the week which is costly, the council said.

The plans go before cabinet next week with a final decision due in September.

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Karen Bradshaw, director of children's services at the Conservative-run authority, said: "What we want to do is make sure that we provide integrated services. We want all professionals who work with families to work in a consistent way and work together looking at the whole family.

"We're not reliant on buildings to provide the efficient and effective support that really changes families' lives."

The authority said it would save £875,000.