Malton Town Council wants to return to its original home - the town hall in the Market Place.

It currently pays £27 a month to meet at the headquarters of Ryedale District Council, Ryedale House.

But town councillors are to explore the possibility of using the former council chamber at the town hall - now part of the market town's museum - when it is not in use in the winter months.

Coun Gerry Cooper said the council needed to look for a new home because of the "looming threat" of reorganisation of local government.

He claimed: "We have no responsibilities, no chamber, little or no income, we are not respected - nobody pays us any attention."

However, he believed the town authority, which came into being in 1974 with the demise of Malton Urban District Council, still had a future, adding: "I don't think the museum should be in the town hall."

He believed it should not only be the council headquarters, but should also be used as a tourist information centre and the town centre manager's office.

"We have got to become a real town council and start by getting the town hall back," he said.

He felt the Fitzwilliam estate, which owns the building, could find another site for the museum.

Coun David Lloyd-Williams said Ryedale House could become the headquarters of a new unitary authority in a future shake-up of local government if Ryedale was to merge with a neighbouring council.

He said the museum board of management had investigated other options, but decided it should remain at the town hall.

Councillors Chris Harding and Steve Preston said they were both concerned about the cost of switching to the town hall because there was no council furniture in the chamber

The Mayor, Coun Ann Hopkinson, said she would welcome the council returning to the town hall where her mother, a long serving Malton councillor, attended meetings.

The council also decided that it was "premature" for it to seek quality council status.

Coun Lloyd-Williams said the issue should be left for three or six months until more information was known about the future of local government in Ryedale.

Coun Harding said it appeared that none of the five town clerks of the Ryedale market towns wanted to seek the necessary qualifications needed for the status. He believed the councils which serve Malton, Norton, Helmsley, Pickering and Kirkbymoorside would need full-time staff if they had the status.

Coun Jason Fitzgerald-Smith suggested Malton and Norton should combine and have one council, but was told that argument had been pursued and lost 20 years ago.

Updated: 08:51 Friday, August 01, 2003