Universal stay and play facilities in two Wandsworth children's centres will be retained after parents and councillors petitioned Wandsworth council to protect the services.

Wandsworth Council consulted parents in Earlsfield and Tooting about plans to 'de-designate' Garratt Park and the Triangle centre and parents reacted furiously, worried their vital stay and play facilities would go.

The council has now pledged to keep these, and will merge Balham Nursery children's centre with Faylands centre in Furzedown, with the new merged centre managed by Balham Nursery School.

April 30: Mums' plea for Garratt Park children's centre to continue running services for Earlsfield

March 18: Wandsworth Council opens consultation to "de-designate" two children's centres in borough​

Speaking to councillors in the children and education scrutiny committee on Tuesday evening, Paul Martin, said: "Balham is no longer described as a deprived area but the centre was working hard with Nightingale homeless families organisation.

"We have agreed to retain this outside the Ofsted framework but we will put Faylands centre under it in a merger.

"Garratt Park was set up as a signpost centre but the current framework notes no different between that, so it cannot operate at a level to meet the Ofsted framework.

"It is clear people value this centre."

Mr Martin said there was never any intention to close the centres, and said he wished the council did not have to use the term 'de-designate'.

Councillor Claire Salier, who uses the centres with her children, said: "I am pleased to see we have access to various things like speech and language drop-in.

"I think this is possibly an opportunity for us to make sure we are targeting people who need to be targeted and maintaining that community aspect."

Cabinet member for children and education Kathy Tracey said the borough was looking to other London neighbours, including Kingston, to work out the best way to charge for children's services.

Parents were consulted on removing children's centre status from Garratt Park, merging Balham Nursery with Faylands, and de-designating Triangle as a children's centre while providing stay and play and some nursery places.

Councillor Rachael Stokes, Labour councillor for Earlsfield, said: "I am delighted that the council has listened to local parents and revised their plans to ensure that early years services will remain universally available in Earlsfield.

"The stay and play sessions and other support provided at the Garratt Park Children's Centre and on the Henry Prince Estate are a lifeline for local families."

The changes will save Wandsworth Council £50,000 in 2016/17 and £100,000 in 2017/18, and there are no staffing changes involved.