Sir, - The question has to be asked: Why is the chairman of the Key Centre trustees so frantic over the democratic decision of Middleham Town Council to have its office on its own premises? To give the electors of Middleham a balanced view, certain facts must now be laid before them.

When the Key Centre trustees put forward that the council should move into the Key Centre, council access to the Key Centre accounts was refused on the grounds of confidentiality. Should the council have taken a leap in the dark?

Eventually, of course, the accounts of the Key Centre do come into the public domain. I quote from their latest published accounts:

In 12 months it spent £49,459 on administration and management. It finished the year with a £504 deficit in spite of the injection of £17, 684 of public money from Richmondshire District Council. RDC had pledged three years of support in 2000. With what was brought forward, the Key Centre then had a total deficit of £39, 821.

Perhaps some people view such sums with equanimity but they compare badly with the £350 the council can expect to pay for its offices.

The Key Centre is a charity for the inhabitants of the electoral wards of Leyburn, Uredale, Bolton Manor, Middleham and Coverdale and surrounding areas of North Yorkshire. Why is Mrs Murgatroyd offering a free office to Middleham Town Council when she should be obtaining much-needed income from it for her charity?

The Town Council's charity is for the inhabitants of Middleham only and its assets well defined. And remember Middleton St George.

Coun ANNE WILLIAMSON

Castle Hill House,

Middleham.

Sir, -Mrs Murgatroyd's letter published (D&S, Feb 7), refers to decisions taken "in private" by Middleham Town Council at its meeting on January 15.

May I point out that the town council, following guidelines from its advisory body, ie the Yorkshire Local Councils Association, went into closed session in order to discuss the vacancy for position of clerk to the council.

Since this item was likely to include reference to the former clerk and the terms and conditions for her replacement it was considered that these matters should be discussed without Press or public being present.

The minutes of the meeting, including those relating to the closed session, were approved at the next meeting on January 29 and are now open to the public.

I should also like to point out that the vote in favour of an office in the town hall was four in favour and two against. How can this be regarded as "the narrowest of margins".

Coun SHEILA F WEBSTER

West End,

Middleham.

Wasteful

Sir, - I refer to Coun Sheila Webster's letter (D&S letters, Feb 7) defending Middleham Town Council's decision to locate the new clerk in the town hall rather than take up the offer of free accommodation in Middleham Key Centre,

Coun Webster expresses concern about the working accommodation at the Key Centre but conveniently fails to mention the cold and draughty town hall and its lack of access or facilities for the disabled.

She refers to the modest cost of improvements needed at the town hall to accommodate the new clerk when the cost of the work involved is likely to exceed four figures on any reasonable estimate. How can such expenditure be justified when free accommodation is on offer elsewhere?

Middleham needs better facilities not wasteful expenditure.

M PITMAN

Kirkgate,

Middleham.

Let's share ideas

Sir, - On Wednesday, February 19, there is to be an open meeting at 7:30 in Middleham Key Centre, for people to share ideas about possible future development of Middleham to make our town into an even better place for both residents and visitors.

We are all privileged to be living in such an exceptional area, and despite much recent correspondence criticising or defending the level of recent local spending on a range of administrative issues, I remain optimistic that basic common sense could be applied by all concerned, so that less resources might be spent in this direction in future and correspondingly more of our community's money allocated to projects aimed at delivering tangible benefits.

The meeting on Wednesday is called to discover more about the "Vital Villages" scheme and to tease out some of the dormant potential of a vibrant communities.

It is not a meeting to offer a public platform either for those who wish to continue defending past decisions nor for those who wish to challenge them. I hope this meeting will be well attended by people with a refreshing focus on our town's potential future.

PETER HIBBARD

Old School Arts Workshop,

Middleham.