Dozens of organisations from across Ilkley shared their ideas for celebrations to mark the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee and the Olympics at a meeting called by Ilkley Parish Council last week.

Around 50 representatives of societies and organisations took up the council’s invitation to the meeting held at Ilkley Rugby Club last Wednesday.

The meeting was held to help draw up a programme of events for the year and discuss ways in which Ilkley groups can work together on special projects for 2012.

Council chairman Councillor Heathcliffe Bowen said the event was “very positive”, with organisations such as Ilkley LIterature Festival, Ilkley Swimming Club and Ilkley Civic Society sharing their own plans for special events this year.

He is urging organisers of jubilee and Olympics events to contact Ilkley Visitor Information Centre, at Ilkley Town Hall, which can add events to its year planner and also inform the parish council.

Coun Bowen said the parish council may be able to act as a conduit for events organisers and help groups with their events.

But there has been criticism this week of the parish council’s behind-closed-doors budget debate earlier this year, which resulted in a 20 per cent rise in the council precept.

Much of the increase is expected to be spent on jubilee-related events.

One member of the parish council, Richard Reed, resigned before the budget meeting over the issue of raising the precept to fund jubilee celebrations.

He has since told a reporter he found the rise “unnecessary”, claiming the money could be found by reducing expenditure or using parish council reserves.

Mr Reed said: “At a time when everybody is having to economise and cut back, we in Ilkley think we are exempt from that and are putting up our tax by a huge amount.

“I am not against Diamond Jubilee celebrations in Ilkley, but I think the money for it should have been found from elsewhere in the budget.

“We give out a lot of discretionary grants to clubs and societies which everybody pays for and only the club members benefit from. There is no reason we couldn’t have cut those back.”

Former councillor Kathy Best asked why the council had not used money from its reserves. She said it was “wrong” to raise the precept in a time of recession.

Ilkley Parish Council reserves are expected to be £65,000 by the end of March.