"In the summer holidays parents could take their kids there and go to work knowing they're safe and fed," another woman said. "Some children don't know what they're going to eat, but they know they can get a meal here. After school they eat and do their homework and they're safe."

A single father despaired over what he would now do with his three children – aged 5, 7, and 9 – while he went to work.

"I will have to leave my job to look after my children," he said. "I can't work because I will have nowhere to leave them, I can't afford childcare. I will have to sign on."

Describing what he felt was a greater concern for money than for people, he said: "We put this government in power and they do nothing to help people. Kids Company really help people."

"If David Cameron cared for people and cared for kids he wouldn't have let this happen," another woman said. "This charity took a lot of the burden off social services."

Another woman said the closure was an example of "the wickedness of this government".

In a statement following the confirmation of the closure of Kids Company centres, a government spokesperson said: "The welfare of these young people continues to be our primary concern and we are now working closely with local authorities to make sure they have access to the services they require."