A PROPOSAL put forward to save an ice skating community has been labelled "forceful" and "unrealistic" by a local authority.

Slough Community Leisure (SCL), the charity which has managed Slough Borough Council's leisure facilities for the last 15 years, has put forward a £400,000 proposal to provide a much-needed temporary ice rink in the town when the current one is closed for nine months from October for refurbishment.

The commitment from the charity is based on the provision the council will extend its contract with SCL to run the refurbished ice rink for a period of time when it reopens, allowing it to earn back its investment of charitable funds.

The announcement from SCL came following what it described as productive meetings with council leader, Sohail Munawar.

Ricci Hodgson, founder of Special People On Ice (SPICE) - just one of the many groups which use the rink - said he was delighted at the news of the council and the charity working together to find a solution to save the groups which face the prospect of folding if no temporary rink is put in place.

However a response from the council has indicated a different story.

A council spokeswoman said: “While we thank SCL for putting a proposal on the table, being publicly strong-armed into accepting unrealistic terms and conditions is not how the council prefers to conduct its business."

She said SCL's proposal will result in an outcome which will disadvantage Slough leisure services and users, with no return to the taxpayer or the council.

A spokesman for SCL said: "SCL has been trying to resolve issues with Slough Borough Council for 18 months offering various solutions which both work for the council and the charity. All these proposals have been rejected by the council without further discussion."

The company said it would be requesting an urgent meeting with the council.

Temporary ice provisions are set to be discussed at the council's overview and scrutiny committee on Thursday.