A survey by CYP Now has revealed services in some parts of the country have yet to decide what arrangements will be after the April deadline when local authorities will formally take control of the advice and guidance service. Elsewhere there are fears staff may be transferred to the local authority, only to be made redundant at a later date.

The survey, based on responses from 52 local authorities across England, found that 18 per cent plan to make Connexions job cuts and eight per cent will close at least one of their Connexions centres when the service comes under their control.

Among the services hit hardest is Connexions South Central, where at least 40 redundancy notices have been issued. The cuts affect support staff in departments such as IT, finance, marketing and communications, who will start to leave their posts at the end of March.

One staff member from Connexions South Central, who did not want to be named, said: "There's a mixture of feelings at the moment, particularly as some people haven't got jobs to go to yet," she said.

Of the 52 services that responded to the survey, five remained unsure about either job losses or Connexions centre closures.

In Staffordshire, for example, future plans for the Connexions service are still being considered. Catherine Lantsbery, access to information manager at Staffordshire County Council, said: "Long-term decisions have not been taken on the specific shape of any future service, and decisions on branding, locations and staffing will be taken once this is determined."

A spokesman for the National Association of Connexions Partners said the full picture of the changes and job losses would not emerge until later in the year. "One concern is people will be transferred across to local authorities and then made redundant later," he said.