YOUNG people voiced their concerns at a heated public meeting about proposals to shut three youth centres.

Bracknell Forest Council is suggesting closing Whitegrove youth centre, in Warfield, Trax, in North Ascot, and Edgbarrow, in Crowthorne, because of low attendance.

The move is part of a bid to save �250,000, cutting spending on youth services in 2012/13 to �800,000 and leading to a loss of about three out of 23 jobs.

But about 20 teenagers, who attended the meeting on Friday with Cllr Garath Barnard, the council's executive member for children and young people, expressed concerns about travelling to other centres.

Dr Barnard said the council could run more sessions from its mobile youth bus - currently out four nights a week.

But one boy said: "During the winter, you can't just take the youth bus out in an evening - nobody would come because it's raining or it's cold. You can only fit about four people in there." Dr Barnard said the council would be keen to work with voluntary groups and said: "We envisage a partnership approach where we provide the specialist work, but we recognise that we can't provide everything ourselves." However, some at the meeting expressed concerns about whether the clubs would be run by faith groups and if there would be secular alternatives.

Labour's Cllr Mary Temperton, who has run a youth group in her Great Hollands ward for 14 years, said there could be problems finding volunteers.

There was also a need for professional workers, especially if young people had problems with drugs or mental health.

She said: "We need places so that the workers and the professionals can actually deal with children and get in there early and stop the rot before it starts." Dr Barnard cited a survey of 5,000 young people in the borough last year, which called for a youth centre in the town centre. He also said there was some money left over from the transfer of Bracknell's council housing stock to a housing association which could be made available.

But young people said some would be afraid to go to the town centre at night and that there was a lack of buses, plus there could be area rivalries.

Katie Lambert, 15, Bracknell's Member of Youth Parliament, said after the meeting at Coopers Hill Centre in Crowthorne Road North, Bracknell: "I found it was very useful and it allowed us to directly have a conversation with councillors and understand where they are coming from but it was also quite frustrating because I felt we didn't get a clear enough answer back to some of the points we have." A decision is due in April. Join the consultation by Friday, March 16, by visiting http://surveys.questions.co.uk/bracknellyouth.asp What do you think about the plans? Have your say below or email letters@bracknellnews.co.uk