A LAST-DITCH bid to save Sure Start children's centres in Hampshire from threatened £6m cuts has been kicked out by Tory councillors despite heartfelt pleas from supporters.

Mums Rebecca Frost and Clair-Louise McLennan, who are part of the Save Our Children's Centre Campaign Hampshire, spoke at an extraordinary meeting of the full county council at The Castle in Winchester today (Monday).

Mum-of-three Ms McLennan who was widowed at the age of 26 credited Chamberlayne children's centre in Eastleigh with preventing her committing suicide and her children being taken into care.

Meanwhile Ms Frost, from Locks Heath, said it was the vital support of her children's centre that helped her cope with her autistic toddler son.

Councillors from all sides said they supported the work of children's centres but Conservative council chiefs said savings had to be made to cope with cuts in central funding.

Council leader Ken Thornber said no final decisions will be made until the results of the public consultation which ended on April 15 had been analysed.

The extraordinary meeting was called for by a group of Liberal Democrat councillors and one Independent. But the Tory majority kicked out a Lib-Dem motion calling for the planned £6m budget cut to Sure Start centres over the next two years to be reversed.

Under the council's proposals 28 of the 81 children's centres will be merged with 35 managers and support staff shed. Mr Thornber pledged no centres will close.