A politician is angry Bradford Council will not hold a meeting in Silsden because it would have to pay the £45 cost of hiring a building it owns.

Councillor Andrew Mallinson has offered to stump up the rent fee himself to hold a meeting at Silsden Town Hall.

He is keen to show off the results of the Council’s recent £300,000 refurbishment of the historic building in Kirkgate.

He said: “The council has blocked me because they don’t have a budget to go to meetings around the district.”

Coun Mallinson chairs the Regeneration and Economy Overview and Scrutiny committee which discusses how to make the best use of council buildings in the current climate of public spending cuts and said the town hall project was a perfect example of this.

Adrian Tumber, the Council’s committee services manager, said meetings could be held in Council buildings other than Bradford City Hall but “we do not have the budget for holding a meeting where there is a charge involved”.