ELDERLY people in two North Yorkshire parishes fear being buried in paupers' graves because of new cemetery fees.

This is the claim of two former councillors who say they have been lobbied by worried residents in both Romanby and Northallerton.

Jack Dobson and John Pelter now want the joint burial committee, which is responsible for the cemetery in Northallerton, to reconsider a rise of about 30pc on fees due to come into force in April.

They are also calling for more open government in respect of burial issues.

But current committee chairman Coun Tony Hall hit back by saying any meeting of the committee was open to the public, apart from certain topics which had to be debated in private.

He also said the committee's present activities were set in motion when Mr Dobson and Mr Pelter were on the committee as immediate past chairman and vice-chairman.

He said proposed increases in fees were agreed after advice from auditors and were in line with charges elsewhere.

The latest allegations follow a row over plans to extend Northallerton cemetery, which has enough space to last only two or three years.

A previous committee estimated the cost of this work at £70,000. But when the line-up changed after last year's local elections, the cost was put at up to 400pc more.

Mr Dobson, a former mayor of Northallerton, described this as "bunk" and he and Mr Pelter, who was a Romanby parish councillor, went on to raise questions.

In November, the committee, which comprises four councillors from each parish, agreed that, in view of the probable cost of financing an extension, burial charges should go up from £300 to £400 and interment of ashes from £50 to £100.

After that, charges would be increased yearly by between 5pc and 10pc.

The committee also decided to put a £200,000 ceiling on the extension project.

Mr Dobson said the difference in the two estimates was due to infill costs and questioned the need for such a substantial rises in fees.

"The public are very concerned, especially the elderly, about a 33pc increase in burial fees," he said. "Many elderly parishioners say they see themselves being buried in paupers' graves and want to know the true cost of the charges, so they can look at their insurance to see if they can afford the increases."

Mr Dobson and Mr Pelter are also angry about plans to assess the risk to the public from unsafe cemetery memorials.

The committee has decided to survey about 700 memorials after safety fears emerged elsewhere in North Yorkshire.

"They propose to assess 700 memorial stones out of a total of 7,800, whereas the previous committee was assessing the risk from all memorials in the cemetery," said Mr Dobson.

"Surveying nine per cent is a statistical risk and surely not one worth taking. One memorial failure is one too many."

He added: "Pensioners don't want a 33pc increase in burial fees. They will have to set more aside if these charges are to be met. It is not on."

On matters being made public, he said: "More issues are being discussed in private and people are asking if this is a committee behind closed doors."

Coun Hall said any resident of Northallerton or Romanby was welcome at meetings.

"I have no problem with that at all," he said, "but on matters involving third parties and finance, local government rules mean these have to be discussed in private."

The next meeting is on February 2 at 7pm in Northallerton Town Hall.

"We are more than happy to listen to anyone who has concerns over burial fees," said Coun Hall. "But there is limited space in the cemetery and when these two gentlemen were on the committee they recommended an extension. We have gone along with that."

He said the increase in fees had been decided following advice from council auditors, who had made comparisons with neighbouring cemeteries.

"The charges from April are no more than anywhere else, with a few possible exceptions," said Coun Hall.

About headstones, he said committee members were meeting insurance company representatives today, but that the company had advised on the 700-memorial survey.

"We are going along with that," he said, "and that is what anyone would do.