Skipton’s new mayor is back on the Yorkshire Dales National Park Authority – 10 years after resigning in an expenses scandal.

Councillor Robert Heseltine resigned from the park authority in 2000 after admitting 12 charges of false accounting.

He was given 240 hours of community service and ordered to pay back more than £1,498 he had falsely claimed over three years up to March 1999.

Teesside Crown Court heard at the time that Coun Heseltine, a former chairman of the park authority, had served a total of 25 years on various councils and public bodies and had dedicated his life to serving the public.

Now, 10 years later, he says he is delighted to be back on the national park.

“I felt very wronged at the time. Being back on the park authority feels like I’ve never been away,” he said.

Coun Heseltine, who has just taken over as Mayor of Skipton, said he had had a lot of support from the public.

Following the court case, he resigned from both North Yorkshire County Council and Craven District Council, but has since been re-elected onto both authorities.

“The public keep electing me into public office and I now look forward to doing my duty on the park authority,” he said.

“I have had several messages of congratulation and feel I have specialist knowledge to contribute.

“I have travelled all over the world and have never come across anything as beautiful as the Yorkshire Dales.

“The Dales are very special and, if we can improve on that situation in the coming years, that is something I would like to achieve.”

He added: “It is ironic where our destiny takes us.”

Coun Heseltine, an Independent, was confirmed as one of three Craven District Council representatives on the authority at last week’s annual council meeting.

He, along with Conservatives Coun Carl Lis, currently chairman of the park authority, and Coun John Roberts will remain on the authority while they are councillors, or unless there is a change in the political make-up of the council.