ELDERLY people looking to leave a lasting legacy of their time on earth could be offered a novel way to do it, through the coffers of a town council.

Northallerton Town Council is to look at encouraging people to leave bequests to the authority as a mark of their devotion to their home town with a potential roll of honour set up in the basement of the town hall.

But there is concern that the authority does not want the historic hall to become a mausoleum or to attract adverse publicity, so councillors have asked for a full report on how to run a scheme to request bequests.

Cllr Paul Atkin came up with the idea as a way for people, particularly those without family to leave money too, to help the town.

“It would be morally wrong not to give the public, and to agree to publicise to local people, that they are able to bequeath money to the council when they die. Many spend a considerable part of their lives enjoying Northallerton,” he told members at a meeting on Monday night.

He said the money could be invested in amenity areas, parks and play areas for the local community to enjoy. The authority last year had a budget of £355,000, with Band D council tax charges of £85 per household.

Cllr Atkin added:“Northallerton has a population of 4,000 residents over 65, of those it is safe to assume over 30 per cent could have savings of over £200,000. Many could be living alone with no family members to leave it too, but they have a long standing connection to their town which they love and adore.

“They can only love and adore the town while they are alive, they could possibly pass to the next world safe in the knowledge they have passed on monies to the town.”

He said the basement of the hall could potentially have a remembrance area with names and tributes for people and this could be open to the public to view.

Cllr John Prest warned: “In theory I think it is a very good idea, in practice we need to think it through before we get ourselves into any sort of adverse publicity. When you look at all sides of the argument, the more it is discussed the better, I would hate to think the basement of the town hall would become a mausoleum of photographs of deceased persons and bits of black cloth.”