THE Mayor of Northallerton was this week urged to resign for comments he made on radio in an ongoing row about burial fees.

Coun Tony Hall was asked to apologise and quit as tempers frayed at a meeting to thrash out claims of concern about plans for the town's cemetery.

Former members of the Northallerton and Romanby Joint Burial Committee were furious after an interview Coun Hall gave on local radio.

On air, he invited worried residents to attend Monday's meeting at the town hall, but added: "People should attend and talk to the organ grinder rather than the monkeys."

At the meeting, former town mayor and committee member Jack Dobson said: "For the mayor to make such a comment is unforgivable.

"You are saying responsible members of the public are monkeys. You should do the honourable thing and resign."

Coun Hall said his remarks had been misconstrued.

"I was saying that if people want to discuss the burial committee, they should talk to its members and not people who have nothing to do with it," he said.

The meeting followed controversy over claims by Mr Dobson and John Pelter, a former Romanby councillor and joint burial committee chairman, that people, especially the elderly, were worried about proposals to increase burial fees by £100 to £400. The rise is linked to plans to extend the cemetery, which serves both parishes, as there is only two or three years' space left.

The previous committee, headed by Mr Pelter and Mr Dobson, put the cost of an extension at about £70,000. But when the line-up changed in last May's elections, the new committee said the figure could be up to 400pc more than that.

Mr Pelter and Mr Dobson have accused the committee of not keeping the public informed about charges.

At the meeting it emerged that the town's clergy have written to the committee asking for clarification.

United Reformed Church minister John Parker said the main fear was a scheme to increase burial fees by between 5pc and 10pc annually after the initial rise.

"I bury people who pay the gas bill and go without food," he said. "These people are now worried about doing without food to pay for a proper funeral and you must allay that fear."

Coun Hall pointed to the lack of members of the public at the meeting.

Northallerton councillor Andy Donnelly, who was in the audience, said: "People have not exactly come in droves, have they?"

Mr Dobson said: "Do you really think people in their eighties are going to come here late at night to demonstrate their penury? I think not."

Coun Hall said: "If you give me the names of the people who are worried I will personally go and see them."

* Sides face to face: page 5