“PANICKING” council officers “misled” a cabinet member over the Hengistbury Head outdoor centre, it has been claimed.

Officers have been urged to learn lessons from the Hengistbury Head fiasco, in which a decision to close the centre was made behind closed doors and announced to the media before councillors.

A subsequent public outcry – by Hengistbury Head supporters and angry councillors – prompted the town’s Conservative leaders to backtrack.

On Wednesday, cabinet members unanimously backed recommendations that the centre remain open for the summer while a business plan is worked up.

But Conservative Cllr Mark Anderson said the council “should never have been put in this situation”.

“I would very much lay the blame at a panic reaction by officers,” he said. “They should have taken a step back and thought about it but instead they panicked and misled Cllr Malcolm Davies.”

Ironically, the controversial way in which the decision was made and announced probably helped the campaign to save the centre.

“The outrage certainly helped but from a political point of view, it didn’t help the Conservative case,” Cllr Anderson said. “I don’t think the Conservatives would ever have voted to close it.”

Meanwhile, staff at the centre are hoping for a deluge of summer bookings, now they have been given an official stay of execution.

Mark Ferris, of the Hengistbury Head Centre Association, said: “The association is working closely with the council on the next stage, which is to draw up a robust business plan to ensure we can continue for the next 50 years.”

And East Southbourne Cllr Eddie Coope said: “We’ve been overwhelmed by the public support for the centre and I think there are great times ahead.”