COUNCIL chiefs have defended plans to sell off assets and build a new £4m headquarters, amid angry calls for a public inquiry into the move.

The fate of two Richmond car parks and five office buildings belonging to Richmondshire District Council will be decided at a meeting tomorrow night.

The council is considering selling off the property and land to fund its new offices, in nearby Colburn.

At a Press conference, Harry Tabiner, the council's chief executive, rejected claims that the sale of assets and move out of town meant the council was abandoning Richmond.

"It's not the case that the council wanted to leave Richmond," he said. "There wasn't a site that could meet our needs."

Mr Tabiner said that if the council was to stay in the town, it would have to spend money it did not have on repairs to the offices.

He said the new offices were "smack bang in the middle of the future growth area for the district", and added that the development could encourage private businesses to the area.

Deputy chief executive Tony Clark said the council had spent thousands of pounds of projects in Richmond recently, including money on the refurbishment of the Greyfriars Tower, a new play area at the Fosse, new public toilets, funding for the town manager, cash for disabled access to shops and new litter bins.

He also said the two car parks in York Square and Station Road, expected to be sold for housing, were underused.

However, Richmond Mayor Russell Lord said that if the plans to sell off the car parks were approved, he would demand a public inquiry.

Mr Lord had questioned why the council needs to move offices and why only assets in Richmond are to be sold.

"They are asset-stripping and abandoning Richmond," he said.

"Deputy Prime Minister John Prescott has said he will scrap district councils if Labour wins the next election, so why are they planning to build new offices?"

The new offices would cost between £4m and £4.5m