THE future of a North Dorset day centre has again come under the spotlight at County Hall.

A full meeting of Dorset County Council debated the future of the Rawson Court centre in Gillingham.

The facility for elderly and vulnerable people could be closed. Plans to bus the centre's users to the Trinity Centre in Shaftesbury are under consideration.

But ward councillor David Milsted raised the spectre of elderly people losing four hours of their day to travel.

Cllr Milsted told a meeting of the full council that the four-mile journey to Shaftesbury could take up to two hours with the bus stopping at each of the user's homes. "A lot of people will find that impossible," said Cllr Milsted.

But the council's portfolio holder for adult services, Cllr David Crowhurst, told the meeting that in his experience, such journeys could be "jolly occasions", which gave elderly people a chance to chat.

He reminded councillors that the authority frequently uses taxis for similar journeys for vulnerable people, incurring an annual taxi bill of around £800,000.

Cllr Milsted asked cabinet members if they had considered the extra pressure placed on the Trinity Centre from 670 new homes planned for Shaftesbury.

Permission for the new development has been granted following a public inquiry.

But Cllr Crowhurst told the meeting he had been unaware of the development, and that the council's priority was to meet its budgetary restrictions.

Cllr Milsted said he found it "astonishing" that the council was unaware of a four-day planning hearing and that officials had not taken a more "joined up" approach to the impact of such developments on day care provision.

A three-month consultation programme to consider alternatives for users of the Rawson Centre has begun. It is planned to finish on February 3.