THE exodus of young people from the Yorkshire Dales caused by the high cost of housing was highlighted at a public meeting in Wensleydale.

The meeting, organised by the Association of Rural Communities, looked at the role of the national park and how it was run.

Coun John Blackie said young people were leaving the Dales at the rate of one a week and he feared a knock-on effect which could include the closure of shops and schools and the loss of services.

Some residents at the meeting at Aysgarth last Friday warned that the critical housing situation could lead to antipathy between local people and the national park authority.

The subject of a planning application to turn a barn at Cams House, near Hawes, into a home for a local young family was again raised.

The application was approved twice, but rejected on the advice of the authority's monitoring officer when debated a third time. An identical application was approved last month but goes before the planning committee later this month for further discussion under the authority's controversial referral system.

Those who backed the application hope the possible future expansion of the list of settlements where barn conversions are permitted will help sway the decision in favour of the scheme.

District Coun Yvonne Peacock pointed out that the average cost of a house in the national park was now £210,000. This had led to a shortage of key workers in the Dales because they could not afford mortgages.

Coun Peacock said it was becoming increasingly difficult to obtain funding for affordable housing projects in rural areas.

The meeting, which attracted about 100 people, was attended by MPs William Hague and David Curry, who were concerned at the Government policy of moving decision making to a regional basis.

Mr Hague said some rural communities could cease to exist if there was not more local flexibility and less "national dictat."

Both MPs anticipated a greater channelling of funding to urban areas if regional government was established.

Mr Curry was also concerned that central Government funding for national parks would in part be linked to performance formulae, which included how many people from ethnic groups visited the area.

"How that can be an indicator of performance I don't know," he said.

David Butterworth, chief executive of the national park authority, accepted there was a shortage of affordable housing, particularly with the loss of 500 council homes in the past few years.

However, he argued that barn conversions were not a long-term solution, as these could be sold later at market price, likely to be about £300,000.

Tom Fawcett, who farms near Askrigg, told Mr Butterworth: "I couldn't care how much it's worth, I still need a home. It's all those with second homes who are ruining the Dales."

Andrew Moss, a town planner with Ward Hadaway solicitors, in Newcastle, described how occupancy conditions could help retain affordable housing for local families.

The meeting agreed generally that the balance of membership on the national park authority was about right.

Mr Butterworth explained that half the members lived outside the park but took into consideration the economic and social needs of the park when making decisions.

The Government review of English national parks had recommended that the percentage of Secretary of State appointees should be increased.

"We fought hard for greater local representation," said Mr Curry, who praised parish councillors who had served on the authority for their broad, non-parochial input.

He said representatives from user groups who lived outside the park were not tuned to the heartbeat of the communities.

Dr Peter Annison described such people as "spit and run artists who don't have to suffer their own planning decisions."

Mr Hague warned of the anticipated cost of regional government, which he said threatened residents who already struggled to meet council tax payments.

He said the £2bn bill could pay for 40 hospitals or more than 100 schools.

Central government would not transfer powers to the regions but would remove many from existing local authorities.

"I am proud to be a Yorkshireman," he said. "But I believe local government should be under local control." He urged people to vote no at any referendum.

One pensioner said council tax had already reached an unacceptable level for those on fixed incomes.

Mr Hague and Mr Curry said rural areas would be disadvantaged because decisions would be made by those living in large towns and cities.

However, Mr Butterworth said it might be easier to debate issues with those in Leeds or Wakefield than in London because of the political, economic and social bias of the South-East.