THE future of a popular skills centre has been left in the hands of users and staff who have been given the chance to come up with a business plan for it.

The Redi Centre has been the subject of a Redditch Council shake-up twice in one year and in September, staff were warned they could lose their jobs and services could be cut.

Centre users set up an action group to save it and the council agreed to fund it for a year while funding routes were explored.

During a full council meeting on Monday, attended by scores of Redi users, a proposal to change its use was ditched.

Councillors agreed to allow users and staff the chance to come up with a business plan for its future - with funding from Redditch Council until April.

Redi Action Group spokesman Sandra Horne said: "Everybody is really pleased to be given a reasonable amount of time to come up with a plan.

"It's really good the council is willing to listen to staff now and they are being given the chance to put forward their own proposals."

Mrs Horne said they had to look at the best way forward for the Redi.

"Whether that is getting outside funding or getting new types of business in as well as keeping the training going, staff will look at all issues and look at the best way forward," she added.