CONSULTANTS say a North Yorkshire council's offices are the worst they have seen.

Richmondshire District Council has released details of reports on its offices to support the case for new headquarters in Colburn.

Over the past four years, three consultants have looked at the authority's offices in Richmond.

Experts from Donaldsons, who have worked on 23 council moves, said the accommodation was they worst they had seen.

Their report said: "Existing arrangements present a significant constraint on the council's ability to achieve best value in the delivery of local services.

"Buildings do not comply with the requirements of the Disability Discrimination Act and, due to their period nature, are likely to be uneconomic to convert."

A report prepared in 2002 by Lambert Smith Hampton found the offices were small and overcrowded.

In 2004, Pricewaterhouse-Coopers said the offices were not cost-effective to adapt, operate or maintain.

Council leader Councillor Bill Glover said: "The cost of consultants is always brought up by opponents to a project.

"However, we cannot just plough on with an idea without specialist independent advice which, as a small organisation, we cannot provide in-house.

"We need the advice of external professionals to help us make the right decisions."

Councillor Stuart Parsons, who opposes the move, criticised the disclosure of the consultants' report.

He said: "They are going out of their way to waste people's time, effort and money to justify a scheme they know the residents of Richmondshire do not want.

"This process has cost the taxpayer £140,000 in the current financial year. They spent a further £100,000 the previous year, and that does not include officers' time and expenses.

"If they were so sure all those years ago that we needed to move, why didn't they do it then?"

It has been calculated that the move would save £2.86m over 23 years.

A fourth report is being compiled on the economic impact on Richmond of the move.

A final decision by the council on the move will be made at a date and venue still to be decided