SCORES of people have joined a protester in calling for Ilkley Parish Council to give its 'surplus' money back to local taxpayers.

Around 180 people have now signed a petition calling for parish leaders to fully outline their plans for spending public money in future and asking for the return of any money left over this year to the Council Tax payers of Ilkley, Burley and Menston.

Ilkley man Andrew Dundas called a meeting with other concerned residents last week after examining Ilkley Parish Council's accounts for the financial year 2003-2004.

The council carried more than £106,000 into the current financial year, including £38,000 from the previous year's precept.

Mr Dundas, of Parish Ghyll Drive, estimates there may now be £140,000 in the parish council's accounts, and claims there could be as much as £200,000 by next April.

Ilkley Parish Council levies its own precept on the parish in addition to the Council Tax paid to Bradford Council.

The residents' meeting drew up a petition which Mr Dundas took to the streets of Ilkley town centre on Saturday, gaining interest and support from many of the shoppers and residents he approached.

"A lot of people did express the concern that their own money is being saved up by the council, which is not what a council is for," said Mr Dundas.

He believes a precept should only be levied if the parish council first draws up detailed plans for what they want to spend it on, and believes the precept did not need to increase this year.

Although some of those he spoke to did not agree with his views, Mr Dundas says people from outside the Ilkley parish also took on interest in the parish accounts, asking if the same could happen with other local councils.

Ilkley's Labour MP Ann Cryer is also asking for answers about the unspent accounts but Mr Dundas - a Labour candidate for a Keighley seat in the recent Bradford Council elections - insists that the campaign is apolitical.

Mr Dundas says he expects to collect more signatures when he next takes the petition out on the streets this weekend.

However, there were quite a few ideas about how Ilkley's public money can be spent.

Some of those Mr Dundas spoke to were keen to see money spent on public toilets provision across the parish - something chairman Brian Mann cited last week as one of the projects the parish council is holding money aside for.

Other spending suggestions from the street included more facilities for young people, and the suggestion that Ilkley could have its own street wardens, similar to those in Leeds and Bradford, on Friday and Saturday evenings when there is often anti-social behaviour and vandalism in the town centre.

Mr Mann told the Gazette last week that the parish council has been unable to spend on some of the projects it wants to put money into, because of hold-ups with planning issues, Bradford Council developments and other concerns.

The parish council has also put money into a variety of local projects, including £15,000 for the Ilkley skate park and more recently agreed to give another £15,000 to a skate park for younger children in Burley-in-Wharfedale.

The council's accounts are still open to public inspection in accordance with national audit regulations, and members of the public can purchase copies of the documents from the parish clerk at Ilkley Town Hall.

The accounts are expected to go to an external auditor as part of the official process in the coming weeks.