Town information points used by thousands of residents could be under threat if councillors decide they do not give value for money.

South Oxfordshire District Council is reviewing the One Stop Shop service it helps fund in Didcot, Thame and Henley.

The service is a local point of contact for thousands of residents and provides information across a range of local authority services.

The council currently pays more than £81,000 a year to help run the shops. A spokesman said: "Until this point there hasn't been any kind of formal review to find out how the One Stop Shops are performing and whether they are offering a value for money service.

"An independent consultant is currently compiling a report and gathering information about the service the shops offer, including things like how many inquiries they deal with and the nature of these inquiries.

"It isn't a given that funding will be reduced — the ultimate aim is to ensure we get best value for our investments in services."

The report will be considered by the council's scrutiny panel on October 21. The council will then undergo discussion with the town councils and the final recommendations will be put to the cabinet in December. Didcot Town Council pays about half the running costs of the town's one stop shop Leader John Flood said the service could be under threat if the funding was cut because money would have to be found from elsewhere.

He added: "The Didcot One Stop Shop gives excellent service to the public dealing with inquiries in town, district and county council matters.

"Should it have to close down due to withdrawal or reduction in district council funding, South Oxfordshire District Council would have no presence in its largest growing town.

"To provide and maintain its own office would cost far more than they £25,000 they currently spend."