REDUNDANT council computers and furniture are to be passed on to charitable community groups across Hambleton.

The district council is offering its surplus office equipment to local charities to provide training and Internet access.

More than 20 old desks are in storage, and councillors have agreed to requests for equipment from non-profit making organisations.

Director of financial services, Phillip Morton, said the typical lifespan of a PC was three to four years.

"We do not have a policy that makes all equipment of this age redundant. But when it is of no further use to the authority, usually because it cannot run the software needed by employees to do their jobs, we dispose of it.

"These PCs are ideal for training purposes and making connections to the Internet, two areas needed by community groups."