The future of an outdoor activity centre visited by thousands of Black Country youngsters annually for the last 40 years has been thrown back into doubt.

The Bryntisilio centre near Llangollen, Wales, will come under review once again in September, with chiefs at cash-strapped Walsall Council considering cheaper alternatives closer to home. It comes after bosses decided against axing Bryntisilio, which costs the council £400,000 annually, last year. The centre has hosted pupils Walsall since it was bought by a council-funded trust in 1968.

Cabinet member for finance, Councillor Chris Towe, said the council’s scrutiny panel would be asked to look at switching to more local facilities, including Staffordshire’s Shugborough Park Outdoor Education Centre on the edge of Cannock Chase.

But Bryntisilio centre manager Anthea Cooper said such alternatives would mean youngsters would no longer have the opportunity of week-long residential stays.

“Given that so many people have already benefited from the centre, including a number of existing councillors, it would seem unfair to deprive Walsall children in the future,” she said.

“Everyone that stays at Bryntisilio always seems to go home more confident.

“If you walk through the streets of Walsall, you will find so many people of many ages who have happy memories of the centre.

“I am very concerned about the situation.”

Councillor Towe said the authority would look at other options, but said that children in the borough were the primary concern, rather than money.

“If something costs us half the price of Bryntisilio, we will be able to take more children,” he said.

“I understand people’s feelings about the place, but we have to be realistic and cannot make decisions based on sentiment.

“However, nothing is decided yet and if the scrutiny panel comes back and says that Bryntisilio is somewhere that is really appreciated and the best place available, we will put our hands up and say ‘okay then, we will stick with it’.”

It comes as the council faces a year of drastic cutbacks, in a bid to save £13.4 million in the 12 months up to next April.