Staffordshire County Council is set to close all 34 clubs that it runs, despite more than 16,000 objections.

More than 100 staff work at the centres, which are being cut as part of controversial £102 million savings over the next five years. The plans are due before Staffordshire County Council for approval next week.

Clubs in areas such as Cannock, Stafford, Gnosall and Wombourne will be hit.

• All council-run Staffordshire youth clubs set to shut in £102m cuts

Council bosses have said organisations including schools and colleges will need to step in if they are to continue.

The plans have been criticised as 'tragic' for young people and youth services within the Staffordshire area.

Stafford youth campaigner, councillor Rowan Draper, condemned the decision by the county council, with young people having developed their skills and confidence with the support of youth workers.

"It just seems that this whole process has been a farce," he said.

"They have not listened, they have gone in totally with their own idea about what they wanted to do and young people can just like it or lump it as they are going to do it anyway.

"I think it is really, really sad that young people are being ignored by the county council."

Lesley Harrison, from Cannock, runs a school library and also criticised the move and said it would have an impact on young people.

The 59 year-old said: "It is tragic. There is so little out there for them. Without the people there and the places to go to, what are they going to do?

"They get the thin end of the wedge all the time."

She added that it is youth services overall that will be affected, and if voluntary groups were running centres, youngsters could miss out on the expertise of qualified youth workers.

"They are people who know how to work with young people in crisis and that is not done through voluntary services," she said.

"That is professionals who have got the qualifications and experience of how to work with kids."

There are no immediate plans to sell off the buildings the clubs are based in, but bosses say they will assess the potential future usage of the buildings.

Mark Sutton, support member for public health and community safety at the council, said they understood feelings were running high but three quarters of young people no longer use council-run centres. The service cost has £8.7m a year to run.

The council said it was not looking to support more tailored and flexible services in the community.

It will look at how much money should be allocated to each area and how the money should be spent.

Councillor Sutton added: "As a county council we are committed to protecting and providing support for the more vulnerable members of our communities and will be looking, for example, at how youth provision can support young people with disabilities a lot more."

Steve Elsey, spokesman from the Staffordshire branch of Unison, said he feared the cuts could lead to an increase in anti-social behaviour.

He said: "We are very concerned at Unison about these cuts, because youth services are vital for youngsters in the area.

"The Government constantly talk about achieving excellence for young people but I fail to see how they are going to get that if they make these cuts." The county council launched a consultation into its youth service plans.

Around 3,000 people took part in the survey, with many saying they valued youth centres and the activities held there, and a petition containing more than 16,000 signatures opposed to the planned cuts was handed into the council.

Staffordshire's youth service covers young people aged 13 to 19 and up to 25 if they are disabled.

The service last year cost £8.73m to provide. If the changes go through, then districts will still get cash to spend on youth services that they feel is most needed in their area.

Officials will look at how much money should be allocated to each area and how the money should be spent.

The 34 youth clubs facing axe from council

Thirty four youth clubs run by Staffordshire County Council look set to be axed.

They include clubs at Armitage Youth Centre; Burntwood Youth Centre; Brewood Youth Centre; Littleton Youth Centre, Huntington, Cannock; Perton Youth Centre; Gnosall Youth Centre; Stone Youth Centre; Walton Youth Centre, Stafford; Wombourne Library and Community Centre; Holmcroft Youth Centre, Stafford; Minster Hall Youth Centre, Lichfield; Netherstowe Youth Centre, Lichfield; Whittington Youth Centre, Whittington, Lichfield; Balfour House, Cannock; Hazel Slade Youth Centre, Cannock; and Rugeley Youth Centre.

Clubs across the county are also being closed at locations including Biddulph Youth Centre; Cheadle Youth Club; Milward Hall Youth Centre, Leek; Blythe Bridge Youth Centre, Blythe Bridge; Audley/Halmerend Youth Centre, Halmerend, Newcastle; Bradwell Youth Centre, Bradwell, Newcastle; Chesterton Vision, Newcastle; Clough Hall Youth Centre, Kidsgrove; Knutton Youth Centre, Knutton, Newcastle; The Orme Youth Centre, Newcastle; Barton Youth Centre, Barton Under Needwood; The Grange, Burton; Winshill Youth Centre, Burton; Glascote Youth Centre, Tamworth; Tamworth Youth Centre; IAG Centre, Tamworth; Wilnecote Youth Centre, Tamworth; and Wheaton Aston Youth Centre.

The council has insisted there are no immediate plans to sell off the buildings that the clubs are based in.

But bosses say they will assess how the buildings can be used in the future.

If the youth clubs are to keep going, they will have to be run by organisations such as schools, colleges and voluntary groups.

Campaigners and young people who use the clubs have said council bosses should make cuts elsewhere as these services are vital for residents across the county.