COUNCILLORS are to look in detail at the whole management and financial policy of Skipton Town Hall following the outcry over recent charge increases.

Charity fundraisers Beryl Beresford and Brenda Heaton addressed Craven's finance and property committee, telling members that the increased fees for hiring the town hall would cost charities dear.

Coun Shelagh Marshall suggested that the committee should form a working group to look holistically at the town hall, with representatives from the council and users involved.

She proposed a moratorium plus inflation for the charges, to come into force the day after any acceptance of her motion by a higher committee, and suggested that there should be some free car parking available for users on Saturdays and during the evenings.

In the meantime, before the working group reports back in September, the council officers should have authority to take a pragmatic approach in consultation with committee chairman, Coun Eric Jaquin, as to operating the bookings system for the town hall, to try to avoid complaints of unfairness.

Coun Marshall's ideas were accepted by the committee, but they need to be given the go-ahead by the council's policy and resources committee before they can be implemented.

She also suggested signing the town hall over to trustees to run it on a charitable basis so that rate relief and lottery funding would become options.

"Village halls are run extremely well, there isn't all this carry on and lack of business acumen. I think they could teach us a few things about managing it," she said.

Coun Claire Brooks was disgusted to see the three tier system of charging for the town hall - which differentiates between commercial, non commercial with some commercial subletting and non commercial -still on the committee papers for consideration despite opposition at a public meeting in April.

"I am disgusted. We should not persecute the public like this," said Coun Brooks.

Coun Beth Graham criticised the idea of a charitable trust to run the town hall, saying that the hall was not really comparable to a village hall.

She added that the council should look at the overall costs of the town hall, bring in free car parking for charitable users and introduce a non returnable deposit.

Coun Carl Lis felt that instead of a moratorium, the council should refund charities for money lost as a result of the higher charges.

Converted for the new archive on 30 June 2000. Some images and formatting may have been lost in the conversion.