OUTDOOR education centres in Worcestershire could be sold off or rented out in a bid to save money.

The Malvern and Upton Warren outdoor centres, together with a third centre at Llanrug in North Wales, could be sold as going concerns under options being drawn up to keep the centres open.

Worcestershire County Council is steadily cutting its £800,000 subsidy for running the centres. From next year they will not get any direct taxpayer funding.

All three centres are used by the county’s schools for outdoor educational field trips.

The council is also pulling its £100,000 subsidy to schools to send pupils to the centres, as education chiefs say the new pupil premium will instead cover those costs.

The council invited delegates from private sector firms, charities and other organisations to a meeting.

Now, it is formally asking any “interested parties” to make offers on how to use the centres, individually or as a group, which could include getting a commercial firm to manage, rent, or sell them.

The results of these meetings will form part of a final recommendation to cabinet on the centres’ futures in March 2012.

Councillor Jane Potter, education services chief, said any options would be measured against how they could keep up services to schools while reducing the cost of the centres to the council.

Both Malvern and Upton Warren will need money for refurbishment, which will cost the council unless they can sell the sites.

Councillor Liz Eyre, cabinet member for children and young people, said she “supported outdoor education provision”.

She said the £438,000 of pupil premium funding “can be used for individuals and groups” and “the time for the bursary has now moved on”.

However Liz Tucker, Liberal Democrat county councillor for Pershore, questioned whether the pupil premium could be used to send pupils to the centres and asked council officers “to make sure” that their understanding was correct.

She said: “I am concerned we have not had the right advice on this.

“It is my understanding that Ofsted will closely inspect its use and expect it to be totally aligned to examination outcomes.”

Coun Potter said that it was “down to schools” how they used the pupil premium.

Coun Adrian Hardman, council leader, said the question would be dealt with in the March report to cabinet.