Homework clubs for school children are to become the latest victims of council budget cuts.
The free service sees qualified tutors help children with school work at evenings and weekends in 21 libraries across Manchester.
But the service - open to all youngsters aged eight to 18 - is to be scrapped from July after funding was slashed from the city's libraries budget.
The council, which is struggling to balance its books after substantial cuts in its government funding, says librarians will be trained up to offer children help instead and that schools should extend their own services to fill the gap.
Remaining money in the libraries budget will be directed into keeping as many branches open.
But parents in Levenshulme, where 80 children rely on the free service, have launched a campaign to save it.
They are collecting signatures for a petition and hope parents in other areas will join the fight.
Sobika Mobeen, mum to Fatima, eight, and Aimen, 11, said: "The teacher at the homework club is brilliant and knows all the children, what their weaknesses are and what they need help with.
"The children come from different schools and compare the projects they are working on and revise together when they have exams.
"Many come to the homework club every week for help – it really boosts their confidence. I
"If it is closed it will definitely affect their education in future."
Yasmin Latif, 34 and mum to Mehran, nine, and Sabina, 10, who also lives in Levenshulme, said: "My daughters have been going to the homework clubs for three years and they are a great facility.
"The tutors have given my daughter lots of help with her exams this year – I could not help her with it as I don't know the things they are teaching at school."
Explaining the decision to scrap the clubs, councillor Mike Amesbury, executive member for culture and leisure, said the council had been forced to find savings of £109m this year after cuts in government funding.
He said: "The clear message from the majority of library users has been that our priority should be to keep as many branch libraries open as possible.
“We do understand how valued the homework support service is.
"The council has recommended that in future it should be directly funded by schools and we are looking at alternative ways of providing this sort of support.
“In the meantime, while specific homework sessions will no longer be available from the end of this school year, we are training our library staff to help them provide more traditional homework support to children and young people."
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Well done Cameron.
cuts cuts cuts thats all we ever hear about!!!
Has the Chief Executive taken a pay cut? Have council salaries been frozen or cut? The cuts needn't come from the libraries budget
Perhaps some of these parents should start parenting and help with the homework...
seejax, Hale - of course Council employees have had their pay frozen they haven't had a pay rise in several years - not to mention the huge amount of staff who will leaving the Council in the next few months.
While in power Labour doubled the money spent on education. How was it used? Consultancies, meaningless courses, discredited qualifications and 'diversity' and 'inclusion' policies. These remain a total waste of money and are nothing more than social engineering. Homework is designed to develop independent study skills, resourcefulness, self -reliance and motivation. Homework clubs are just another example fo the state trying to make up for inadequate parenting and rectify the consequences of successive governments' disastrous social policies. The state cannot be mother and father to children or make itself responsible for everything while parents are allowed to bahave as if they have no responsibility for their kids.
Why was it free in the first place?
Surely if the parents pay the costs then the clubs can continue.
If the government was run as a private company it would have gone bankrupt a long time ago
Another cynical cut by the city council.
There are lots of middle class people at the town hall doing non-jobs on very nice wages - I'd say about 20% of that workforce is completely unnecessary.
But when it comes to cuts these people are last in line.
Well said ceejax. How about the council leader take a pay cut in his £250,000 basic salary plus £50,000 a year in expenses he can claim. Also why are there over 42 people working at Manchester City Council earning over £50,000 for non jobs? It's just typical Labour and Socialists looking after themselves. When will people realise that it is the Socialists and Labour who are the cause of the problems in the cost cutting at Manchester Council. Was it also missed by Socialists that the city council had over £100 Million hidden away in bank accounts that wasn't heard about until a national newspaper brough it to everyones attention. So maybe if all the Labour Councillors took at least a 50 per cent pay cut and used some of the millions in bank accounts 'meant for a rainy day' be used now? It won't be used now as it can be used as a political tool to say tot he people of Manchester that Mr Cameron is a nasty man.
Also its strange that Manchester Council says it has no money yet continues to get away millions to overseas projects. Stop sending money overseas and use it to keep Libraries open.
During Labours time in power it shut a lot of youth facilities, yet not one Socialist or Labour Councillor was heard campaigning to stop those cuts. No it's always the same if Labour makes the cuts its ok, if the Tories make cuts they are rightwing facists and treat people with distain. Meanwhile all the Socialists leaders get rich earning huges sums of money they condemn the Tories of doing. But thats just it Socialists can earn what they want as its their kind of equality just like Communism, some are more equal than others.
Also Bob Crow the RMT Union Leader earns £100,000 basic plus £75,000 expenses and Never loses a days pay when he takes the workers out on strike. Workers who do lose a days pay yet he doesn't. Not ever equal, but then again Socialists only care for lining their own pocket.
Seems like a free child minding service to me,until parents finish work. Still,it is better than children walking the street!
The chinless wonder's "Big Society" coming along nicely!
End of June,goodbye youth service.