A PRIVATE meeting between a local authority's management team and its councillors has been condemned by one member, who is demanding it be held in public.

Richmondshire District Council found itself under fire when 11 senior executives enjoyed a two-day adventure training course at the taxpayers' expense.

The stay with Adrenalin, at Aske Hall, near Richmond, in North Yorkshire, included two nights at the Morritt Arms Hotel, across the County Durham border, and is reported to have cost about £7,000.

Chairman of the authority Councillor James Kendall has been asked to chair an informal meeting between councillors and officers on Thursday, June 20.

In a letter to members, he wrote: "The request for this discussion has been brought to a head by the recent controversy over the management team training event.

"The management team feel they have not had the opportunity to state their position on this issue and that they have been badly let down by the council."

But Catterick ward councillor Tony Pelton has described the request for a private meeting as "deplorable".

"The letter says the meeting will be private so people can express their views freely, but what that means is they want to meet in secret.

"Anything the council has to say on this issue should be said in public," he said.

Council leader John Blackie insisted there was no ulterior motive for holding the meeting in private and pointed out that the council had already debated the Adrenalin training course in public.

He said: "This issue had already been raised at open meetings, including at the authority's last full meeting where members voted to consider putting the issue of training on the work programme of the new scrutiny committee. I see no reason why it should be aired again.