FOLLOWING a discussion held in private - excluding press and public - at its December meeting regarding repairs needed to the ice rink, the borough council's community, environment and partnerships committee received an update on progress from council officers last week.

Reading the update to members at a meeting on January 20, chair Cllr Paul Gaskell said: “Following the confidential update to CEP, officers can report that discussions with Planet Ice are ongoing to secure the required investment into the ice rink, required for its repairs.

"Members will be aware that since the last meeting, Planet Ice confirmed their intention to continue running the ice rink for the foreseeable future, continuing to undertake surveys to monitor the situation. Officers and portfolio holder met with Planet Ice and Standard Securities to discuss the statement and options. While discussions are ongoing, it would be inappropriate to comment further, and an update will be given once those discussions reach a conclusion.”

Later in the meeting, Cllr Kim Taylor asked: “Will we be expecting, in our March meeting, a further update on the ice rink? I think that might be prudent if we knew we were going to get that.”