COMMUNITY leaders may have to miss out on attending a crucial meeting to discuss the future of a North Yorkshire early warning station because of a timetable clash.

Armed Forces Minister Adam Ingram will be at Thornton-le-Dale village hall from 7.30pm, on Thursday, June 26, to discuss the controversial national missile defence programme at RAF Fylingdales.

But all 30 members of Ryedale District Council are expected to be at a full council meeting starting at 6.30pm in Malton.

Councillor John Clark, who represents the Cropton ward north of Pickering, said he was furious when he learned of the clash.

"This is typical incompetence by someone - I suspect at the county council," he said.

"The very people elected to represent Ryedale, which will be affected by the base more than anywhere else, are supposed to be somewhere else."

A spokeswoman for the district council said notices were up at Ryedale House urging as many district and county councillors to attend as possible.

But because no one had consulted the district, she said, the clash had left members agonising over which meeting to attend.

County Councillor Murray Naylor, who has been instrumental in organising the meeting, admitted he was not aware of the district council's meeting. But he said the date was the only available one.

"We have to go for that date because it was the date the Minister could do," he explained.

"We did not want to do it too much later because it had already been postponed from the spring.

"I suspect whatever date we had gone for, there would have been a clash somewhere."

Harold Mosley, chief executive of the district council, said it was an unfortunate clash.

"I have no doubt there will be disappointment from members, but we have moved to that date from the normal date to accommodate the Local Government Association conference. I think moving it again might be problematic."

Updated: 10:40 Tuesday, June 10, 2003