A COUNTY councillor has defended his decision to vote on a controversial bid for a waste management site, despite disapproval from the national Standards Board for breaching the councillors' code of conduct.

Knaresborough's Bill Hoult was the subject of a complaint from a member of the public after North Yorkshire County Council's planning committee sanctioned Yorwaste's bid for the facilities at the Tancred quarry, between Scorton and Brompton-on-Swale, in July.

Although the waste management firm operates at arm's length from the county authority, it still pays the council a dividend from its profits every year.

As Coun Hoult serves on an advisory group which monitors Yorwaste's activities, it was argued he should have declared a prejudicial interest before he voted on the planning application.

However, the Standards Board has accepted that Coun Hoult took advice from the county council's monitoring officer before he entered the debate and, as he declared a personal interest in the matter, any subsequent breach of the code was in good faith.

Coun Hoult said: "This whole issue raises questions about the way North Yorkshire County Council makes decisions on its own applications.

"If I am adjudged to have been wrong not to declare a prejudicial interest, surely every member of the planning committee should have done the same as Yorwaste made a contribution from its profits of £900,000 to the council's coffers last year."

He added: "I also believe we need to re-examine the principle of how we make decisions on the county council's own applications."