A North Yorkshire museum is so unpopular it costs council tax payers a whopping £9.78 per visitor to keep it open.

Malton Museum attracts an average of just 54.8 visitors out of every 1,000 people living in Ryedale, according to the Audit Commission.

The cost of keeping the museum open contrasts with the amount of cash the council has spent on public transport - £3.92 per person.

The Commission's Best Performance Indicators into Ryedale District Council also say the authority does not follow nationally laid down racial equality guidelines on employment and staff monitoring.

Though councils do not legally have to follow these codes, the Local Government Association says it is advisable.

On the plus side the performance indicators, which cover the functions of the council between April 1 1999 and March 31 2000, show that the district's swimming pools are both popular and cost-effective.

"The number of swims and other visits per 1,000 population was 4,854. The net cost per swim/visit was £1.09," adds the report. "The total net spending per head of population on sport and recreation and parks and open spaces was £8.89."

Ryedale's environmental record reveals that for every household 0.07 tonnes of household waste was not recycled. The net cost per household of refuse collection was £42.93.

Collecting council tax amounted to £17.16 per household, while in general terms the council had spent a total of £114.21 per person.

But a spokesperson from Ryedale District Council insisted many services had improved.

On refuse collection, only 20.7 collections were missed per 100,000. In 1998/9 the figure was 40.2.

In 1998/9 75.4 per cent of highways were of a standard of cleanliness, whereas from 1999/2000 it was 80.8 per cent.

Council spokeswoman Jill Beachell said the figures for spending on public transport were good.

"Most public transport is provided by North Yorkshire County Council," she said. "Compared with other councils our figure is quite good."

Alan Hall, from Ryedale District Council's personnel department, said the council did adhere to an equal opportunities policy.