A COUNCILLOR has apologised for questioning the amount of money Skipton Town Council spends on an historic closed burial ground.

Cllr Peter Madeley said in November that it was wrong that the council paid out what he wrongly thought was £10,000 per year on the closed Raikes Road Burial Ground when it was only open to the public on certain days of the year.

His comments were much criticised in letters to the Craven Herald, including by the Friends group of the burial ground which pointed out it was the responsibility of the town council but with the maintenance and restoration work carried out by unpaid volunteers.

At last week's Public Services Committee meeting, councillors were reminded that £10,000 was allocated in the annual budget for the maintenance of all the town's churchyards and burial grounds, including Holy Trinity, Christ Church and Raikes Road.

Last year, the council paid out £1,488 on the Raikes Road burial ground, including £1,000 on monument repairs, £395 on the repair of a headstone and a wall, and £53 on the website.

In 2020 it was just £21, in 2019 it was £1,271,and in 2018 it was £253.

Cllr Madeley said he wrongly thought the town council spent the entire £10,000 budget every year on Raikes Road.

"I do apologise to the Friends group, I wrongly thought that we were spending £10,000. That was wrong and clearly, we should be supporting the burial ground," he said.