AN Ingrow resident who campaigned to expose failings within Keighley Town Council has again urged councillors to shut down their controversial civic centre in North Street.

Elizabeth Mitchell said the property is costing taxpayers in the parish huge amounts of money each year, adding that there was no prospect of its financial situation improving.

Speaking during last week's Keighley annual town meeting, which was held within the civic centre, she said: "This building we're in costs £250,000 a year and it's going to be like that for another 48 years.

"Would this council please shut up shop here, please sell the building and move back to where you should be over in the council chamber [in Keighley Town Hall]?"

The town council's civic centre was opened in the former police station by Princess Anne in April 2012, but has struggled to attract tenants and generate cash.

Keighley Town Council bought and converted the old police station using two loans totalling £1.1 million.

The property's police and forensic science museum, shop, bar and cafe are currently closed, while the council tries to clarify whether it has the legal authority to trade in the building.

Responding to Mrs Mitchell last Wednesday, outgoing town mayor Councillor Graham Mitchell stressed that the council still holds its business meetings in the town hall, adding: "Your question is for the future town council which you elect on May 7, I'm not in a position to say yes or no to that question."

Earlier in the meeting, during his annual report, Cllr Mitchell had spoken in defence of the civic centre initiative.

"We did have a vision, a vision of what we wanted the civic centre to become," he said.

"Some have said that we were wrong, but only three council members voted against the project, and each one of them has now retired from council or is retiring at this election.

"Our vision was for this building to be the centre for a range of community activities, and our clerk continues to seek clear sound legal support, so that the new council can go forward with that vision.

"Where there is no vision in the council, then the town will decline, as it most surely did in the late 1970s following the loss of the borough council."

Cllr Peter Corkindale, chairman of the town council's civic centre committee, said the figures he has received showed the civic centre's finances were narrowly "in the black".

However, he conceded that these were not end of year figures so could not give a fully accurate picture.

He said the council has £583,306 to pay off from the £600,000 loan it took out to develop the civic centre, and £491,360 to pay off from a second loan of £500,000.

"The year 2014-2015 has been a very turbulent and at times stressful one for the members of the committee, however all of them have been very supportive and have worked exceedingly hard to make the projects a success," he said.