A TOWN council lambasted for its handling of a controversial civic centre is now looking to take on another building – an old cemetery chapel.

Keighley councillors are considering leasing the Utley structure – currently used to store gardening equipment – from Bradford Council.

It was revealed last year the civic centre – operated by the town council in the former North Street police station and courthouse – was £162,000 in the red, which prompted a record 72.6 per cent precept rise.

Keighley MP Kris Hopkins, who last month condemned the town council’s spending priorities in the wake of a highly critical external auditors’ report, has accused the authority of failing to learn any lessons.

“Given the total unwillingness of senior town council members to seek outside assistance to get the council’s finances in order, the last thing local residents need is Keighley Town Council heading up another blind alley – well-intentioned though it may be,” he said.

“Instead, we must get to the bottom of what has been going on, and the council needs to map out a coherent plan for its future activities.

“Then and only then should any new ventures even be considered. Not only has it not learned any lessons, but it appears not to want to learn any lessons.”

But the cemetery idea is defended by councillor Brian Morris, chairman of the allotments and landscapes committee, which will put forward the proposal for debate at full council next month.

He said if the council approved the plan, the 25-year lease would only involve a peppercorn rent to Bradford Council.

“There is a Friends of Utley Cemetery group, which is currently using the old chapel to store some gardening equipment,” he added.

“It’s a nice old building, which has been there since the creation of the cemetery, and if neglected, it will go to wrack and ruin and eventually just fall down.

“At the moment, it’s in as good a condition as it could be after all this time, and it’s worth keeping for future generations. It’s part of our heritage.

“We would have to make it waterproof and also apply to the Heritage Lottery Fund to have it revamped so it can be brought back into purposeful use.”

Cllr Morris said before any major work was done, the town council would take care of any running costs for the chapel, while the Utley Cemetery Friends group would continue making use of the property.

He added: “Anyone with any sort of sense or foresight would not want to lose something like this building. We’ve lost too many already.

“If we had a referendum asking ‘should Keighley Town Council take over the Utley Cemetery Chapel?’, I think the answer would overwhelmingly be ‘yes’.”