A CRISIS meeting to salvage the Skipton Renaissance project was taking place yesterday (Tuesday) after Yorkshire Forward said funding had almost run out.

Council officials were meeting Yorkshire Forward, the Government regeneration body, to try to persuade it to fund vital research into the various projects which could shape the future of the town.

Skipton mayor Paul English said Yorkshire Forward "had dropped a bombshell" when it announced that it had committed £160,000 to the Skipton Renaissance project and more than £120,000 had been spent.

But those connected with the project say they have never been informed of how much was available and have had no control over where the money has gone so far.

Suddenly they have been told that the pot is almost empty.

"As far as I can see it has been a beanfeast for consultants," said Coun English.

"We have had no say in commissioning consultants, no knowledge of what they spend or how or why and now they say there's not much left."

Coun English said no-one had ever been told how much was available and how much was being spent - until now.

Among the consultancy work was a traffic study which council sources said added nothing to what was known already and which regurgitated previous reports.

Members of the Renaissance Market Town Team still do not know who ordered the work.

Coun English said £20,000 had been spent by Yorkshire Forward on a planning weekend in Skipton, when the town centre was blocked off.

A key requirement was for every home in Skipton to receive a leaflet explaining what was going on, but he claimed that 1,000 leaflets were "dumped" at the council offices just two days before the event.

Coun English admitted he had been disillusioned with the process so far, but said there was nothing wrong with the project's ideas and they could still be pushed forward.

"The exercise has not been a waste of time, because some good things have come out of it," he said. "I do feel though that if Yorkshire Forward had given Craven District Council £160,000 and said 'get on with it' then we would have used the money more wisely and made more progress."

The Renaissance project has come up with 13 recommendations, with three top priorities:

* Development of the bus station.

* Development of Cavendish car park to include a multi-storey car park.

* Development of new council offices on Coach Street.

However, the knock-on effects on tourism, business and traffic are key factors in the equation and Yorkshire Forward has indicated that there will not be enough money to carry out the vital research.

Craven District Council's head of economic and community development Jonathan Kerr and chief executive Gill Dixon were meeting Yorkshire Forward to try to secure funding to carry out the feasibility studies.

Speaking before the meeting, Mr Kerr said there was a feeling that the work required now could be done for less than Yorkshire Forward had been quoted and he was hopeful that the body could be persuaded to see the project through.

"There have been some positive ideas and at least the whole process has made everyone look with fresh ideas at Skipton," he said. "Some of the ideas have been kicking around for many years and the wheels have been set in motion.

"I am confident that this is not the end of the line, whether or not we do persuade Yorkshire Forward to commit themselves a little more."