A meeting to talk about Kent County Council’s plans to close Sittingbourne’s Woodgrove Children’s Centre was cancelled at the last minute.

MP Gordon Henderson and KCC community liaison manager Bill Ronan were due to attend the get-together at the Pulse Cafe, Park Road, on Friday.

They were set to explain how the cuts will affect local people and services, but the Skillnet Group, which organised the event, was asked by KCC to postpone it.

Louise Allen, Skillnet’s project lead for community and sustainability, said: “They wanted to make sure the right people were there.

“They have asked to hold two events next time, one with the relevant officer present and another with Cllr Jenny Whittle (Con) [cabinet member for specialist children’s services].

“We hope to hold them mid to late September.” The children’s centre, in Johnson Road, is one of 23 across the county that could shut under fresh cost-cutting proposals.

It was opened five years ago through the Sure Start initiative to “give children the best possible start in life” through improvement of care, early education, health and family support.

A total of 607 under-fives and their families use Woodgrove. Services available include play sessions, courses and groups for parents and carers, including adult education, antenatal and post-natal, a weekly child health clinic, and midwife appointments.

The centre also supports parents who are looking for work or training, and helps them to access family support and health services.

KCC wants to set out a new model for its children’s centres that is sustainable for their long-term futures.

It is targeting those centres with the lowest attendance figures, and claims the identified sites are no longer needed.

To make up the loss, council chiefs are suggesting 16 “lead centres”, which already provide services for a larger number of families. These would coordinate with other smaller sites in their areas.

The bigger centres, which would be known as Children’s Centre Plus, would have to work more closely with GPs, schools, voluntary services and health visitors so families get the support they needed.

The authority hopes the reduction in building and management costs will save around £1.5 million over the next financial year – on top of the £1.4 million KCC has to save by the end of this year.