Richmond'S MP has urged Richmondshire District Council to look at other ways of funding the authority's proposed move to Colburn.

William Hague said it would be inadvisable for the authority to defy the strong feelings of residents opposed to the proposed sale of car parks in Richmond for housing.

The council announced on Wednesday that a twice-cancelled special resources committee to decide the fate of the car parks would go ahead at the Zetland community centre, Victoria Road, on June 22, at 6.30.

The venue is limited to 280 members of the public, who will be admitted on a first come, first served basis.

Two committee meetings, due to decide whether the authority should sell Yorke Square and Station Road car parks to housing developers, were cancelled on health and safety grounds when hundreds of protestors turned up.

In a letter to Harry Tabiner, council chief executive, Mr Hague said he had received a large number of letters from residents opposed to the idea of selling off car parks to finance the £4m office move. Many people had also spoken to him on the subject as he canvassed in the run-up to the General Election.

"I hope that these strong local feelings will be fully borne in mind by the council when making any decision about the future of these sites," said Mr Hague.

"It would not be advisable for any council to run its affairs in defiance of such strong and perfectly rational feelings in one of its principal centres of population."

He urged the authority to find other ways to finance the move and asked if the savings the council would make by shifting its back office operation to more efficient premises had been quantified to offset the cost.

Mr Hague met senior councillors at the weekend to discuss the issue.

Mr Tabiner said the council had no cash reserves, no grants were available for such a project and the authority could not apply for private finance.

"This leaves only selling assets or borrowing to fund the move and, if we borrow, that will put a charge on council tax," he said.

"I am slightly disappointed that Mr Hague has not mentioned the sometimes Dickensian conditions in which the council staff has to work. The council has a duty to provide decent working conditions for its staff and for members of the public visiting its premises.

"Mr Hague is asking on what basis we decided to move. The Audit Commission and the Improvements and Development Agency both said that our current poor accommodation was holding the council back."

Mr Tabiner said Mr Hague appeared to be under the misconception that the council would be without major assets if the proposed sales went ahead. "The whole point of the process is to consolidate a number of assets to create one single major asset which we will wholly own," he said.

Detailed plans and designs, including a breakdown of financial savings from the move to new premises, would go ahead only if members agreed ways to fund the relocation.

An officers' report to the committee will be made public on June 8, but a council spokeswoman confirmed that members would be asked to sell some assets to fund the relocation, agreed in principal two years ago.

Coun Stuart Parsons, Mayor of Richmond, said he was pleased the meeting was finally to go ahead.

"It is unfortunate that not everyone who wishes to attend can be accommodated but it is important that the meeting is held, as we need the council to make some decisions so that we can challenge those decisions if necessary," he said