RYEDALE House saw one of the stormiest meetings in its 34-year history when councillors vetoed the £3.5 million plan to build a sports and leisure centre in the grounds of Malton School, but agreed to provide funding towards the £5 million enterprise and innovation centre earmarked for Old Malton.

The debate during the four-hour meeting frequently became heated as supporters of the sports centre were cheered by the 150 sports enthusiasts and youngsters who packed the chamber to capacity.

But the scene became ugly after the council decided by 15 votes to 13 not to back the centre. People stormed out of the meeting shouting "disgraceful", "vote the Tories out!", "scum" and "shame on you!".

Coun Keith Knaggs, council leader and leader of the Conservative group, admitted that he was going to be the most unpopular person in the packed chamber when he proposed that it should not go-ahead. It was, he said, a case of reflecting what the community needed - affordable homes - ahead of what it wanted.

Coun Knaggs said the two main issues which had been raised on the doorstep during last May's elections had been job creation and waste recycling.

"I have taken the route of not what is convenient or popular, but what is right," he said, adding that with more than 600 families in Ryedale waiting for a home that was a priority. He believed that an astro-turf pitch was still a viable proposition for the Malton School site, adding: "It is a project which we can support."

Liberal Democratic leader Coun Howard Keal stormed back that the council had £8 million in its balances and with the availability of grants, there would still be £4 million left for other projects. He urged other Conservative councillors: "Go with the people not the party. If you vote this down you vote to go down at the next elections!"

He said affordable housing would be provided as a result of the council increasing the amount to be provided in future developments, to 40 per ort from Coun Lindsay Burr who told Coun Knaggs: "You should be ashamed of yourself for springing this on us tonight. How autocratic to think you and the Tory group are right."

She said she had received a letter from the Derwent Surgery in which doctors had backed the building of the sports centre to benefit the physical and mental health of residents in the Malton and Norton area. She said hundreds of people had signed petitions backing the sports centre.

But Coun John Raper told the council: "There are a huge number of people in Ryedale who are not here tonight who are not in support of the centre."

He said that in his rural area ward on the Wolds, 80 per cent of residents said they would not use it. There were "countless" groups in Ryedale who were struggling to survive and he wanted to see them helped by the council.

Coun Tony Hemesley said he had "mixed views" on the scheme and a decision had to be taken based on other needs in Ryedale.

Coun John Clark urged: "We need to put money into affordable housing," while Coun Jim Bailey feared the council could end up in a situation where it was not able to deliver both the sports and the innovation centres. "I don't believe we would be spending taxpayers' money wisely," he said.

Coun Linda Cowling said that it would not only cost £60,000 a year to run the sports centre, but Ryedale would lose £200,000 annually in interest after spending its reserves. She believed that "less than two per cent of the population" would use the new centre, adding that Malton already had a wide range of facilities.

Ryedale, she added, needed "good quality employment and affordable housing" and investing so much money in a sports centre was not making good use of the council's funds.

Coun Paul Andrews said: "It's a lie that only Malton wants this centre. I believe people in the rest of Ryedale are in favour of it."

Consultants had recommended that a sports centre was needed he said, adding: "The is the last opportunity. If it doesn't go ahead the Conservatives will be remembered for it."

The cost had been reduced from £3.6 million to £2.7 million said Coun Di Keal, because of the grants from various sources, including £250,000 from Malton School.

However Coun Edward Legard said that while he would like to see a centre in Malton he had a responsibility to see council resources were spent wisely.

"Potentially, thousands of people won't make use of it. I wish it were cheaper. I am sure there must be some kind of hall which is cheaper to build."

He was concerned that without "a full-blown partner" Ryedale Council would be exposed to the full risk in going ahead with the project, pointing out that North Yorkshire County Council was only putting in one per cent funding. He had "serious doubts" that Ryedale could take on the building of the sports and innovation centres both from a financial and administrative point of view.

"Jobs are more important than leisure, more important that someone improving their badminton skills."

Coun Brian Maud told the council: "If we don't go ahead with this tonight, it will never be built."