Ripon's mayor-elect came under fire this week by buying wine in France for a civic event.

Coun David Harrison, chairman of the city council's civic events committee, went with deputy mayor elect, Coun Bernard Bateman to France to buy the wine for the council's Christmas dinner.

Mr Bill Robson, a Ripon resident, asked Couns Harrison and Bateman at the parish meeting on Monday if they supported shopping in Ripon where possible.

Coun Harrison replied: "All I can say is I shop in Ripon for what I can get in Ripon."

Mr Robson then asked Coun Harrison if he and Coun Bateman had taken three trips to France last year to buy wine, to which Coun Harrison replied: "That's correct."

This led Mr Robson to put it to Coun Harrison that by going to France for the wine, he and Coun Bateman had ignored four local wine merchants.

Coun Harrison told Mr Robson: "All I can say is the council dinner I attended we pay for ourselves. What it costs and where it comes from is nothing to do with you."

However, a financial break-down of the cost of the Christmas dinner shows that while 18 councillors paid £21.50 each for tickets, ten civic guests were paid for by the council, at a cost of £215, which is over a third of the total cost of the event.

Also included in the break-down of the cost is Chinnery's caterers £477, drinks £104.94, water £7.93 and Christmas crackers £23.97. Total cost £613.84.

The break-down also states six bottles of wine left were put aside for civic events use and half a bottle of brandy and half a bottle of port, which were also left, were put into the mayor's parlour drinks cabinet.

After the meeting Coun Harrison explained: "We went to France before Christmas to buy some wine.

"I bought that personally with my own money, the money I earn. I was not paid for it. I paid for it and it was given to the Christmas dinner."

However, one of the invited guests, Miss Connie Birkinshaw, a former mayor of Ripon, said that on her invitation it stated tickets were £21.50 including three glasses of wine.

She said: "I have always supported the council, but this time I didn't go because I thought paying £21.50 for it, including three glasses of wine, was an imposition.

"It wasn't held in a restaurant, it was held in the council chamber. I didn't want three glasses of wine and I didn't see why I should pay for them."

However, Coun Harrison denied that the wine was paid for by guests. "The tickets were for the food. I paid for the wine. It wasn't sold. If it was sold there would be a payment back to me."

Local wine merchant, Mr John Senior, a partner in Great Northern Wine in Ripon said that Coun Harrison's actions were a slap in the face for traders in the city.

Mr Senior, who is a member of Ripon chamber of trade, said: "Trade's hard enough without not getting the support of the local council."

A spokesman for Customs and Excise, said: "What you can buy when you go out of the country is for your own personal use. It's a personal allowance.

"Customs puts indicative limits on the amounts people can bring back because of the effect this has on retail trade in this country."