TWO long serving town councillors with an incredible 85 years service between them are standing down on May 7.

But William Joel and Bateman Marshall, who have been on Bentham Town Council for 52 and 33 years, hope to be succeeded by their respective children, Wendy Heigh and Thomas Marshall, who are standing in the forthcoming election.

Mr Joel, of Station Road, a retired farmer, was persuaded to stand for what was then Bentham Parish Council by Mr Marshall's father.

"He said, there's an election, how about it? I was always interested in local affairs so I put up. I was in Low Bentham then and got in without an election, but over the years there has only been once when I haven't had an election," said Mr Joel, who is also a former chairman of the Bentham branch of the National Farmers' Union.

When Bentham became a town council in 1974, Mr Joel was the first mayor. Since then he has been mayor again, in his 50th year in 1995.

Mr Joel considered standing down at the last election, four years ago, but stayed on because he wanted to do his 50 years.

Over the years Mr Joel was instrumental in the council's campaigns for mains sewers in Summerhill, and for the first public toilets in Bentham. He was also involved in securing a burial ground for the town.

"Everyone would have been buried in Ingleton," he said.

Mr Marshall's family has been concerned with Bentham Town Council since 1895 when his grandfather, Thomas, became a councillor. His father, John, was also a councillor until about 1963. In 1965 he was elected and has been on the council continuously ever since.

Now Mr Marshall, of Bentham Hall, feels that it is time to retire. Over the years he has been mayor twice.

"My main things have been the refurbishment and maintenance of the town hall, and the replacement of the street lighting in Bentham.

"There are three things which we have both fought hard for and have failed on -we wanted improvements to the Punch Bowl corner, a footpath to be installed on Mount Pleasant and the adoption of Wenning Avenue," said Mr Marshall.

l Giggleswick resident Malcolm Riley is stepping down as a Craven District councillor after 12 years.

The representative of Penyghent ward since 1986, Coun Riley was originally elected as a Liberal but turned independent two years later. He believes party politics often interfere with sound decisions.

Coun Riley was chairman of the council in 1992/3 and during that period the campaign for unitary status was under way.

He represented Craven on the Yorkshire Dales National Park committee for three years, and environmental matters have been a great concern to him.

"I was particularly sad at the excessive tree felling at Giggleswick Scar. Replanting was promised but two years on the only evidence is a small fenced off area. We are left with more scrub than wood," he said.

His main council interest has been planning where he has been able to offer his knowledge as an architect.

Coun Riley said he regretted the changes going on at Craven council, feeling that too many managers and too much paperwork led to increasing costs for the public.

l Fellow district councillor Ralph Atkinson is also not seeking re-election.

Coun Atkinson, 69, who has represented Bentham since winning a by-election in November 1987, has decided to step down for health reasons.

A Bentham resident since 1986, Liberal Democrat Coun Atkinson lives in Robin Lane, and he and his wife, Patricia, celebrate their 45th wedding anniversary this year.

They came to North Craven after Coun Atkinson retired from a career as an agriculturalist, spanning almost 40 years which took him to many different countries around the Third World.

He never thought of entering the world of local government until he was approached in 1987, but a seat on the district council led to him also standing successfully for North Yorkshire County Council.

Ralph has been instrumental in many achievements over the years. He set up the Leeds-Morecambe Railway Joint Action Group and succeeded in getting rail services reinstated on the line.

He was also instrumental in defending the Post Office business, getting road signs for the area, and persuading Craven District Council to make money available for the refurbishment of Bentham toilets.

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