Calls for council bosses to scrap “ludicrous” plans to axe swathes of children’s centres have intensified.

Mums who rely on the at-risk Blossoms site in Deal say it is “vital” the service is kept.

Earlier this year, Kent County Council (KCC) announced 35 centres could face the axe as part of wider plans to help plug a £40 million black hole.

While some pre-existing community services could absorb children’s centres, facilities provided for vulnerable groups are also at risk – including adults with physical and learning disabilities.

Under the cost-cutting exercise Blossoms, based in Downs Road, would close and its operations merged into Dover District Youth Hub in Linwood, which largely caters for adolescents.

Services include childcare, support with health and mental well-being for mums and babies, breastfeeding help and educational play sessions.

Deal mother-of-two Michaela Barnes has used the service for years and branded the potential merger “a nonsensical plan”.

She said: “Blossoms provides an awful lot of support to mums in Deal. It’s vital to have this place at the heart of the community and their facilities are set up especially to provide that help.

“The youth hub really is just one large room. How could they provide the teenagers with stuff and care for babies there?

“Teenagers aren’t going to want to be in a room with babies in one corner, and new mothers might be a bit reticent to go a place that’s not specifically for mothers and young children.

“To me, it’s a nonsensical plan.”

The 35-year-old trainee solicitor added Blossoms is conveniently located next to related services, a primary school, and is easily accessible.

KCC says it needs to save money as it has a backlog of £165 million of unaffordable maintenance work across its estate.

But the proposed closures – which could save £6 million over five years – have been met with a wave of opposition from those who have benefited from the centres.

The Downs Road site sits beside Brambles pre-school and the Downs Church of England Primary School.

In a letter objecting to KCC’s proposal to axe the site, Walmer town councillor Michael Eddy argues the new location would be far less convenient.

“When built, this centre was billed as a location within pram-pushing distance of a day nursery, a primary school and a Sure Start centre,” said Cllr Eddy.

“But the new proposed location has none of these facilities nearby.

“For some, the move will mean adding a bus fare and the struggle of getting a pram onto a bus to visit the facility after dropping children at school.”

Other children’s centres at risk under the proposal include Canterbury’s Riverside Children’s Centre, Hawkinge Children's Centre and Callis Grange Children’s Centre in Broadstairs.

A public consultation on the plans closed in spring with KCC promising a July decision.

But a fresh survey opened soon after, and councillors are now saying a final call will be made by November.

During the first consultation period, Ms Barnes joined forces with fellow Deal mum Heidi Taylor to spearhead an awareness campaign.

They launched a petition calling on KCC to drop the plans which garnered about 1,000 signatures.

“We’ve all been trying to tell the council that this is a ludicrous idea,” said Ms Taylor.

“They’ve raised our council tax by 5% – to the max they can – then they try to shut our local children centre, our recycling centres and yet we’ve got thousands of new houses coming. It’s just madness.

“I’ve used Blossoms since my nearly-one-year-old was born. All the groups are absolutely fantastic.

“Plus, I’ve met a lot of my friends through Blossoms, it’s a massive part of the community.”

A spokesperson for KCC said the authority faces an “extremely concerning financial position driven by rising inflation, market conditions and additional demands on its services and needs to identify savings totalling £43.7m this year”.

“The potential closure of Blossoms Children’s Centre and relocation of services to Dover District Youth Hub formed part of the wider Community Services consultation which closed on March 26,” they said.

They explained responses to the consultation are “currently under consideration” and various options are being assessed.

The spokesperson added: “The current family hub programme and consultation presents the council with opportunities to make further improvements and innovations by bringing together different services so that families, young people and caregivers can quickly access the support they need.

“The current consultation describes the range of services that would be available under the family hub model and the different ways in which they could be delivered.

“The council can develop additional family hub services based on the need in their area, and so we encourage responses from all service users to help us shape the best provision for them.”