SIXTY per cent of rural parishes in North Yorkshire do not have a local shop and more than half are without a post office, according to a new report.

Figures revealed by the Rural Development Commission also show the number of villages in the county that lack basic public services is well above the national average.

The survey found that 82 per cent of parishes in North Yorkshire do not have a seven-days-a-week bus service (national figure 75 per cent); 66 per cent have no school (49 per cent); and 41 per cent are lacking a pub (29 per cent).

The commission also found that the number of shops counted in the area in 1994 was down by three per cent in 1997.

The report comes as town leaders in Malton prepare for a full-scale debate on the number of empty shops in the area.

The meeting, at the end of this month, will be attended by Roderick Bushell, agent for the Fitzwilliam Estate, which owns most of the commercial property in Malton.

The Town Mayor, Coun David Lloyd Williams, said at the last town council meeting that the number of empty properties was "concerning".

Many traders blame the growing number of shop closures on increasing car parking charges, claiming "people no longer pop into the town for odd items".

Converted for the new archive on 30 June 2000. Some images and formatting may have been lost in the conversion.