BUSINESS leaders say if councillors decide to sell council assets to pay for new offices it would be a 'premature and ill-informed' move.

Members of Richmond Business and Tourism Association (RBTA) have spoken out before a Richmondshire District Council meeting tomorrow to decide how to fund the authority's £4.5m offices in Colburn.

Council officers propose that two car parks and the existing offices should be sold to pay for the move.

But association chairman Philip Wicks said that while members did not dispute the council's need for improved office accommodation, they were concerned the sale of key assets had been presented as the only viable solution.

He said: "Parking is a vital resource for market towns and both Station Road and York Square car parks should be kept for the long-term vitality and prosperity of Richmond.

"Retaining office space and associated jobs is equally important to the town's future - Colburn's gain should not be Richmond's loss."

The asociation was not satisfied that other funding options had received sufficient time and attention, said Mr Wicks.

"The council's own papers prepared for tomorrow's vote state that the move could also be funded via a commercial loan requiring repayments of £60,000 a year for every £1m borrowed. But there is no attempt to suggest ways in which repayments may be funded other than an increase in council tax."

Association members say they want to see a detailed feasibility study weighing up the cost of the relocation set against the cost of extensive office refurbishment.

"The RBTA recognises that the existing council office accommodation is outdated and inefficient, but is relocation cheaper than refurbishment?" said Mr Wicks. "As yet, there are no official figures in the public domain to prove it."

The resources committee meeting starts at 6.30pm in the Zetland Centre, Richmond.

* Opponents to plans to sell York Square car park have received Royal backing. Prince Charles' assistant private secretary has written to residents of The Green, Richmond, saying he wishes them a successful campaign. They approached him for support in his position as patron of the Landmark Trust, which owns Culloden Tower, which overlooks both the Green and the car park.