SOCIAL work services for children and families are to move from Alexandria to Clydebank after a crucial council vote.

The future of the site had been up in the air since 2014, when Labour put the Church Street offices into a "rationalisation" programme.

Last week the SNP voted to follow through with the move even as Labour tried to reverse their own idea.

The two Tory councillors split and one voted for each plan.

Council bosses insisted the new base at Aurora House in Clydebank was just to put staff under one roof and there would still be local services in the Vale of Leven.

And they pointed out Church Street was not fit for purpose and staying there would require hiring five new social workers.

There are currently two under-12 teams, one on each side of West Dunbartonshire, while youth services and a children with disability team are based in Aurora House.

A duty social work staffs both offices on rotation.

A total of 36 staff are based at Church Street and it's expected they will move to Clydebank after January 2018.

A consultation was carried out in the summer into the long-running plans, with trade unions backing keeping the Church Street service.

Twenty-five people attended two public meetings on the proposals after 500 letters were sent out.