BRADFORD Council has been urged to be more honest and up front about upcoming plans that will see millions cut from "early help" services.

The authority is currently consulting on plans to cut over £13 million from its Early Help and Prevention service, which helps families deal with young people’s issues such as health, youth offending, school attendance and making sure children are ready for school.

The Council says the cuts are down to central government massively reducing the amount local councils receive, and the consultation runs until February 12.

The cuts are likely to lead to 240 full time roles being cut from the department, almost half of its current staff.

However, the council has said the changes will also lead to a major shake up to how the service is delivered, and that it will become more user-friendly for families, giving them a “single point of contact” and bringing them closer to those who need it most.

The cuts were discussed by the Council's Children's Services Scrutiny Committee on Wednesday evening, with members questioning the claims that such huge cuts could lead to improved services, and claiming the ongoing consultation was flawed.

Members also queried why a report into the proposed service changes, produced by KPMG, had not been made public.

Sheila Rye, chair of governors at Midland Road Nursery and Children's Centre, attended the meeting, and said: "I don't want to be a moaner, but children's centres and nursery schools are bemused as to why we haven't been more involved in the engagement exercise. There is years and years of experience in these institutions on how to help children and families in need, and it has been criminal not to invite us to contribute to the plans.

"We deal with issues like domestic violence and mental health. After these cuts we will have to think are we still able to keep our children safe."

Neil Terry, representing the Unite union, said: "You look at the staffing implications, and it is something like 65 per cent of the front line staff going, and they deal with over 2,300 families. I can't see how cutting these staff will help improve the service. I just don't get it.

"Staff are very alarmed by these proposals. There was even a protest at one of the consultation events, that is how alarmed people are.

"How can staff fully contribute to the consultation when they don't have the full information?"

Councillor Val Slater, executive for health and wellbeing, said: "As it stands at the minute some families will have a worker who deals with a child under five, another to deal with their children between five to nine, others for older children. Families don't always fit nicely into these little silos. Some families find it very difficult when they deal with more than one worker. The new system will see a worker work with a family in their totality."

She added: "Since 2010 we have had £280 million taken from our budget, we have £39 million we have to take out in the coming year, and another £39 million by 2020. Because of this budget situation we can't afford to keep the service how it is."

Jim Hopkinson, Deputy Director for Children’s Social Care, said the KPMG report could not be made fully public because the Council needed the group's permission to publish it, but added a summary had been made available.

He added: "None of us believe that after taking that much out of the budget we will have a service with the same reach, but the changes we are making will mitigate that impact."

Councillor David Ward (Independent, Bolton and Undercliffe) said: "Our job here is to scrutinise, and look at what the outcome of these proposals will be. I think it would be different if you had been more up front about these reductions is staff and services, rather than saying it is all about targeting resources.

"You are having to make cuts, and that is why you are doing this. If you'd just said that it would be better than saying what your proposing will lead to a better system of working. We can't believe that things will be improved with only half the staff."

Tom Bright, secondary school representative on the council, said: "I think what you are doing is trying to mitigate the loss through these cuts, so they have the least impact possible. If you're trying to do that it is the right thing to do. But there are elements of this that are not well thought through.

"We need more information, as I don't think the unions will allow this to go through if they don't feel they have had the chance to give proper feedback."

A final decision on the changes will be made in April.