A Skipton town councillor has had his knuckles rapped over potentially damaging claims.

Coun John Kerwin-Davey had called for an investigation into the council’s selling of the former Burnside allotment site.

The council entered into agreement with Burley Developments in 2002 over the sale of the land, off Carleton Road. The developers were given first refusal on the site if planning permission was given.

Permission for 32 homes was approved in November last year.

At the council’s annual meeting, Coun Kerwin-Davey made claims about what happened at the time and called for the matter to be referred back to committee. He claimed part of the site had recently been sold for £380,000 and the council had been poorly advised at the time.

He followed up with a letter to the Craven Herald in which he accused the paper of being silent on the matter and calling once again for the council to “recover for the people of Skipton monies that should rightfully be theirs”.

But ahead of last week’s finance and policy committee, when Burnside allotments were to be discussed, he requested the item be held in private – away from the press and public. Before going into private session, committee chairman, Coun Paul English said it was to protect both the council and the councillor involved.

Later, Coun English said the decision to bar the public had been taken on legal advice. And he said: “A member of the council made comments at a meeting of the full council where it was agreed to refer the matter initially to the finance and policy committee.

“I am saddened the member chose to write to the press before the committee had the chance to look at his concerns – especially when it should have been clear that the nature of his concerns meant the item would have to be dealt with in private.”

Dave Parker, the council’s chief officer, confirmed: “The finance and policy committee had to discuss this in private for legal reasons. Members resolved to ask the council’s audit and scrutiny committee to investigate whether the council has grounds to take the matter further.”

Coun Kerwin-Davey said: “Some of the details I wanted to put had to be done in private. What has happened in the past was not confidential, but what I wanted to be proposed would have been confidential.”

He said he had considered his course of action after the AGM and realised some of what he wanted to say could have been interpreted as sensitive.

The matter will now be discussed at audit and scrutiny – of which Coun Kerwin-Davey is chairman.