PARENTS and children have just an hour to try and save services at popular children’s centres.

Kirklees Council announced last October that it would be slashing £1.5m from its children’s centres budget.

Now officials have drawn up a plan to reduce services in the wealthier parts of the district to help cope with the public spending squeeze.

It means cutting £630,000 this financial year, with another £800,000 reduction in 2012/13.

The plan is to split children’s centres into two categories – “lead” and “associate”.

The council’s current proposal is for 15 lead centres in deprived areas offering a full range of support and advice on issues including health, education, domestic violence and teenage pregnancy.

The other 17 children’s centres would be scaled back to offer fewer services.

Now a series of one-hour public meetings are being held to let people have their say.

Officials have also set up a survey on the Kirklees Council website.

Denby Dale Tory, Clr Jim Dodds, said his local centre was set to become a satellite centre to one at Thornhill near Dewsbury.

Clr Dodds said he wanted as many people as possible to come to next week’s session to show the strength of feeling against the plan.