A BID to oust national park chairman Robert Heseltine following his arrest by Fraud Squad officers has failed.

He was given a vote of confidence by colleagues on Friday after calling a special meeting of the Yorkshire Dales National Park Authority to "consider the implications" of his arrest.

During the meeting, Coun John Blackie put forward a motion asking Coun Heseltine to step down until police inquires were completed.

Members voted 9-5 in favour of him remaining as chairman, however.

Mr Heseltine, who represents the Skipton East Ward on North Yorkshire County Council and is a member of Craven District Council, was questioned at Skipton Police Station last week.

His arrest followed a joint internal audit investigation by the national park and the county council into members' expenses and allowances in connection with official duties.

Mr Heseltine was released on bail without charge.

Speaking at Friday's meeting, he told the authority: "I have never ever knowingly done anything untoward in my personal life, in my business life or in my public life or in my business as your chairman.

"As I stand here my only concern is for the Yorkshire Dales and for this authority. What happens to me, Robert Heseltine, is of no consequence whatsoever."

Mr Blackie's motion asked members to "request the chairman of the Yorkshire Dales National Park Authority to consider standing aside from national park business until such time as police inquiries were completed".

That was later amended by Mike Childs, asking him to stand aside as chairman and not as a member.

Mr Blackie told the meeting: "Mine is a moderate course of action. I believe if we do nothing we will stand accused of closing ranks. On the other hand if we are too robust we will stand accused of inferring guilt instead of innocence."

However, Jerry Pearlman reminded members that a person was innocent until proven guilty.

"You do not dare condemn in any way until a final decision is made," he said. "I have been practising law for 40 years and my clients have always expected they should be treated as innocent until the jury comes back."

And Coun Peter Walker urged members not to overact: "We have got to take it steadily and carefully and we must not be coloured by emotion in any way. We cannot ask the chairman to withdraw. In my opinion it would look as though we think he is guilty and we do not know."

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