A former Oxford City Council official has lodged an official complaint about its plans to demolish and redevelop Cowley Community Centre.

Ben Ticehurst, who helped set up the West Indian Day Centre community facility, based at the Barns Road building, 20 years ago when working for the council, has complained both to the council and to the Local Government Ombudsman.

The West Indian Day Centre, which is attended by about 40 people each week, is one of around a dozen organisations using the centre which have been asked to find new premises by Friday, April 25.

Mr Ticehurst criticised the council for failing to respond to correspondence about the day centre's future and failing to disclose information.

He said: "We are not asking them to determine any detail, just to commit as a matter of principle to some ongoing community facility on the site - which they have not done."

Mr Ticehurst, who now runs a consultancy company, was a community recreation officer when the West Indian Day Centre was first established but rose to the position of assistant chief executive officer of the city council before he left in 2001. He said: "This is the only facility for black senior citizens in Oxford and it has had to work very hard to keep going.

"We are talking about God-fearing, upright, Christian people who have made a contribution to the city and we are not asking the council to spend money on them, just to use perfectly straightforward process and powers to help them on their way."

A spokesman for the Local Government Ombudsman confirmed it had received a complaint.

Oxford City Council spokesman Chris Lee said: "Both council officers and councillors are in regular contact with the key people in this popular organisation and there are ongoing constructive discussions with positive proposals for the future location of the West Indian Day Centre."

The Word Fountain Christian Ministries, which meets at the centre several times a week, is yet to find a new home.

About 150 people in the congregation marked their last Easter in the centre with a colourful service.

Pastor Dupe Adefala said: "We are hoping someone somewhere will see our need and attend to us, but at the moment no-one has come up with a firm decision."