Didcot's long-awaited arts centre has been hit by further delays.

Work on the £7.3m project will not start until Christmas pushing the opening date back by another six months - to spring 2008.

But the town's five screen cinema is on schedule to open in May 2007. The arts centre setback is the latest in a long line of problems that have dogged the scheme since its conception in 2000.

In the last six months alone the project has been delayed by more than a year.

In March, ruling Tories at South Oxfordshire District Council said they hoped to complete the centre by next spring. But after negotiations collapsed with contractors Leadbitter that date was pushed back to the autumn.

In May, SODC and Leadbitter reconciled their differences and residents were told a deal was imminent - with work due to start on the Station Road site in July.

The council also pumped another £1m into the budget to cover the cost of buildings inflation. But this week SODC said negotiations with Leadbitter were still ongoing and the arts centre would not be open until at least spring 2008.

SODC's cabinet member for leisure, arts and recreation, Nigel Moor, said he regretted the delay, but made no apology.

"I will not be pushed into agreeing a contract that has a down side for the council because it has a down side for everybody, including the tax payer," he said.

"Negotiations have made progress. The only outstanding issues are technical ones.

"We are very close but, yes, it has been frustrating."

Mr Moor added the overall project budget had not been affected by the latest delays.

He added: "Ultimately, when it is open and a success then it will all fall into place."

The Didcot arts centre project has had a long and controversial history.

It was originally drawn up by SODC's Labour-Liberal Democrat ruling group in 2000.

When the Tories came to power in 2003 they scrapped the plans and went back to the drawing board, insisting they would not spend a penny more than the original £6.4m budget.

But in March 2005 they said scrapping the project had been one option discussed before back-tracking on their budget promise and agreeing to spend a further £930,000 on the centre.