A SHOWDOWN is on the cards after Skipton town councillors lost patience with North Yorkshire Council over the current state of its 'spiritual home' in the town hall.

The majority of town council staff had to move out of Skipton Town Hall in October last year following the collapse of suspended ceilings.

A reception desk has remained in the town hall with some key staff relocated to the Craven office in Belle Vue Square, Skipton.

North Yorkshire Council, which owns the town hall and charges the town council rent for the purpose built first floor premises of the town hall, has recently submitted plans for the removal and replacement of suspended ceilings, but has been unable to give the town council a timescale on when the work will take place.

At last week's full council meeting, members expressed anger and frustration at the delay with a senior member stating the authority's North Yorkshire landlord had a 'moral responsibility' to provide suitable, safe alternative accommodation.

The meeting heard how the town council was not currently paying rent for the town hall although it was having to paying £60 per week for the cleaning of the use of the space at Belle Vue Square, and that council staff had already been looking at alternative office space in High Street. There was also a suspicion from some that North Yorkshire Council wanted the town council out of the building after it had offered to end the lease.

The meeting also heard a commitment from Skipton North Yorkshire councillor Robert Heseltine that he, along with his fellow North Yorkshire Skipton councillors, Andy Solloway and David Noland, would seek a meeting with Richard Flinton, North Yorkshire chief executive, and leader, Carl Les, after it was suggested that representatives of the town council go to County Hall, Northallerton to put forward their case.

Cllr Heseltine said it was an intolerable situation. "As landlord, North Yorkshire Council can't let a building that is not fit for purpose; it should find an alternative at no cost to ourselves, it is their moral duty," he said.

Cllr Brian McDaid, said in his role as a town councillor and also as a trade unionist, his concern was the impact on staff.

"(The staff) have to deal with this ridiculous situation where North Yorkshire can't even give any assurances on timescale when it will be resolved and then no viable or realistic alternatives. Having staff sit in reception in this weather is especially abhorrent. First of all, we want a timescale when this will be resolved and if it is not done in a certain time, then we will have to look at an alternative site in the town."

Deputy mayor Cllr Peter Madeley claimed it was the fifth time in six years that problems with the building had led to the town council 'decamping' and that temporary, alternative accommodation should be found urgently, with the cost borne by North Yorkshire Council.

"This was purpose built for Skipton Town Council; we pay a high rent for it and we have been let down. It is freezing, we can't turn anything on and now they (North Yorkshire Council) want us to pay £60 per week for the cleaning at Belle Vue Mills. It seems they don't care; I don't want to believe that, but that is what it seems, it seems they want us out of the building.

"We have the lease, this is the home of Skipton Town Council and we want to move back in as soon as possible."

Cllr Claire Nash said council staff had been 'nagging away at North Yorkshire Council for months' and not getting anywhere.

"Maybe we all ought to travel up to Northallerton to put forward our case."

In October, North Yorkshire Council said it was assessing the extent of the work that needed to take place at the grade two listed building and that it was a long standing issue with the building that it had inherited from the former Craven District Council. It said once the work had been completed an assessment would be carried out to make sure the building was safe for staff and public and that in the meantime alternative accommodation had been found for town council staff in Belle Vue Square.

North Yorkshire Council has submitted a listed building application for the removal and replacement of suspended ceilings in five rooms in the town hall, and also to the ceiling in the reception area.

In a heritage statement with the application, it states the work also includes the replacement of 'defective lath' in the roof space, re-plastering and the creation of 'permanent maintenance access into a roof void of the town hall.'

Damage has also taken place to the moulded plasterwork and wall paper in the council chamber where water has got in.

It concludes some original lath and plaster ceilings in the town hall are failing and need to be repaired, and that some have been 'patch repaired' in the past with plasterboard and skim.