STRAINED relations between the council and Pinehurst community could see an external body brought in to oversee consultations on the future of the Pinehurst People's Centre.

Earlier this year the council was blamed for leaving the elderly management committee isolated and poorly advised when financial problems got out of hand last year.

The committee was forced to hand over the running of the centre to the council and the whole saga left relations in tatters.

Now options are being considered for its future and the council's recommended choice is that the building be demolished and re-built to include a new library and learning centre.

But the public must be consulted on the proposals before the plans are fully decided.

At last night's cabinet meeting, it was suggested that due to the friction and mistrust between the council and the centre's volunteers, an external body should be brought in to manage that consultation process, due to begin in February.

The consultation is due to get underway in February and its outcomes will be brought back to the cabinet.

Sue Stockwell, of the council's education and community department, said: "We do need to be mindful of the tenuous relations between the people in Pinehurst and the council, so we are exploring the possibility of bringing in an external facilitator."