A SPECIAL report by council leaders on the future of activity centres for children in poorer parts of Worcester will be completed next month.

The government-funded scheme - called Sure Start - currently has centres in Fairfield, Tolladine and Tudor Way.

These centres offer health and education for children between the ages of two and five and support for parents.

The report will be crucial to hopes that new centres will be created in Ronkswood and the city centre this year.

Sure Start boss Ian Craigan said there was "a real need" for the two extra centres to get the go-ahead. He also wants extra staff to help out at the two proposed centres.

The report, to be completed by the end of March, will examine every aspect of Sure Start in Worcester, as well as offer pointers on how it will operate in future years.

Ian Craigan said: "We know where the new centres have to be - definitely in Ronkswood and the city centre. That is where the real need for them is. It's just a case of waiting for this report.

"The money is in place from government to go ahead and create them. We just need to wait until the authority has had a proper look at the whole scheme and pre-sented their feedback.

"Things are going a little slowly at the moment but there are ex-citing times ahead."

The report is necessary because funding for the government-led scheme has been transferred from the city to the county council.

The Government wants local authorities to have a more hands-on role with Sure Start after criticism by London University resear-chers that the scheme was failing.

The researchers' continuing £20m evaluation suggested that the overall benefits for children were "limited".

"Because of the changes in local authority control, the county has to take a look at the way the whole system operates before we go for-ward," said Mr Craigan.

"We've had a really good few months at the existing centres, and will carry on doing what we are doing.

"The three centres we have are quality centres, and as part of the considerations we would obviously need extra staff at the new ones."