MYSTERY surrounds the progress of a 10-month-old investigation into the finances of Keighley Town Council.

According to the town's mayor the auditors, PKF Littlejohn, who first announced the investigation late last year, have "put a cloak of confidentiality" over the proceedings.

Councillor Graham Mitchell said this meant he was not allowed to comment on the status of the investigation, or even give an indication as to when its outcome might be made public.

A spokesman for London-based PKF Littlejohn also declined to comment when contacted by the Keighley News this week.

The Keighley News understands that town councillors agreed a series of formal responses to the auditors at an extraordinary general meeting on September 11.

Keighley MP Kris Hopkins said: “As the local MP I am appalled that Keighley Town Council has chosen to hide behind the auditor’s reluctance to publish this report.

"The quickest way to get to the bottom of this is for the report to be published in full as soon as possible."

The auditors began going through the books of the council following a series of complaints about the way it was being run.

They wrote to the objectors, who included some town councillors, to confirm details of the probe and conducted face-to-face interviews with them to gather evidence about the council's spending in 2012/13.

Objectors included campaign group Cavetown Council who had challenged the town council's spending, and argued that the external investigation was the only way its members could could get at the truth.

The then Keighley mayor, coun Sally Walker, said the council would co-operate fully with the auditors.

One of the people who objected to the council's 2012/13 accounts was Riddlesden & Stockbridge town councillor Ron Beale.

Reacting this week to the lack of information on the investigation, he said: "After all this time I don't think the auditors are just going to get up, say 'you're all good boys' and walk away.

"We're still waiting, but I'll be glad when it's over to be honest. I just want it to be sorted out."

He added that if the auditors release a "public interest report", that would mean the town council would need to hold a public meeting within 30 days to explain how they would address any problems identified.

PKF Littlejohn has been dealing with complaints relating to five areas of Keighley Town Council's affairs. These are: the basis for determining the precept, alleged unlawful grants/loans in respect of establishing the Police Experience attraction at the town council-run civic centre, alleged omissions from the council's asset register, alleged unlawful trading concerning the civic centre, and alleged non-compliance with financial regulations relating to the payments for goods, services and cash takings.