COMMUNITIES hoping to take over at-risk children’s centres are 'running out of time' to save vital services as the county council still hasn't revealed how much rent it will charge.

Town councils, parish councils and churches have been drawing up business plans in a bid for a share of a £1m council fund to help them take over children’s centre due to close in April, with MP Nicola Blackwood adding her support.

But many opted out of the first round of bids last week as they had not been told how much rent Oxfordshire County Council would charge.

Save Our Children’s Centres campaigner Jill Huish said: “Time is running out and the next round of bids is in January but we still don’t know what one of our major costs will be.

“The council still think it is ‘early stages’, when we find out about rents that will be our D-Day but we don’t know when that will be.

The mother-of-two added: “Many communities won’t be able to run children’s centre without large rent discounts so we need to know.”

The council confirmed eleven community groups submitted business plans ahead of the first round deadline for a slice of the council cash pot but Ms Huish said many more opted to wait until the second round in January when they hoped to know more about rents.

In April the county council will stop funding 31 of 44 children’s centres and two of seven early intervention hubs.

A new service – from 18 locations – targeted at vulnerable children and families will be introduced by the county council as a replacement.

Last month the Oxford Mail revealed that the Diocese of Oxford had urged its churches to step in to save the vital services currently run by children’s centres.

Churches have since been working with church charity Doorsteps alongside local authorities and other groups

Katy Thompson from the charity said the rent issue had led to some communities exploring the possibility of using other buildings.

She said: “The fact that the council are expecting rent to be paid on the buildings may make the cost of taking it on quite high.

“For these cases we are looking at what existing buildings may be available within their communities to maybe take on instead.

“It’s very much a case-by-case thing and the conference is all about community groups and churches identifying what roles they can play in keeping their vital services going.”

Oxfordshire MPs Nicola Blackwood and John Howell expressed support for the Doorsteps initiative.

More than 100 people from communities across Oxfordshire will meet at a conference on November 5 organised by Doorsteps and discuss proposals with representatives from the diocese and other charitable groups, with Maria Godfrey, early intervention manager at Oxfordshire County Council due to attend.

Oxfordshire County Council spokesman, Paul Smith, said: “We are talking to each individual community group on the basis of their own local circumstances as regards rent.

“This is not a one-size-fits-all situation.”