MORE than 19,500 youngsters aged under five will be affected by the closure of the county's 44 children's centres, it was warned this morning.

The Save Oxfordshire's Children's Centres campaign said this would be in addition to another 10,000 children aged under 19 who used seven early intervention hubs, which would also close under plans to create a new combined service.

Campaign leader Jill Huish said the replacement service - which would include eight centres across the county - would mean "massive numbers of vulnerable families would miss out". 

She said: "There are thousands of families who use them who will suddenly be without that support.

"We understand the need to protect the most vulnerable, but the replacement service will only be able to help very few families."

According to Oxfordshire County Council figures that were provided in a consultation, some 19,500 children aged under five use the children's centres at present. Most offer universal services.

But the new service, which would cater for children under 19, would focus instead on about 3,000 of the most vulnerable families and 1,500 children, the local authority has said. 

Its 'children and families centres' would be at Banbury, Bicester, Witney, Abingdon, Didcot and three locations in Oxford, Barton, Rose Hill and Blackbird Leys.

But in a consultation that received more than 2,700 responses, the plan was overwhelmingly rejected.

Ms Huish added: "There was a huge response to the public consultation on children's centres and most people said they did not like any of the proposed options. 

"We want councillors to think again and come back with another proposal."

County council cabinet member for children and families Melinda Tilley said: "We know how highly people value the current range of services and we are truly sorry to have to reduce them.

"The desire to defend existing arrangements has been clearly articulated throughout the consultation. We understand the sentiment.

“The reality is that current financial pressures and rising demand alone would mean having to redesign services at this very point in time.

"What we are proposing is the safest possible system that protects vulnerable families and links effectively with other agencies.

"Our priority is keeping children safe and supporting the most vulnerable families.”

It comes after hundreds of people marched through the centre of Oxford on Saturday to protest against against £69m of fresh savings that the county council has said it needs to make over the next four years.

The local authority has already planned £290m of savings since 2010, but tomorrow will consider budget plans that would see another £69m found.

The savings include scrapping mobile libraries and bus subsidies, as well as reduce funding for the arts, homeless support, road gritting, elderly day services and support for carers.