SO the Milton Rooms is having its annual "crisis" according to the headlines; and Ryedale District Council is "seeking urgent Talks" with who-knows-what. A sad case of play it again and again and again Sam (with apologies to Humphrey Bogart).

Frank Wiggle weighs in: The situation is "appalling after all these years of struggling to keep the place going. There just isn't support in the town for it."

If that's true, it's time to bulldoze it and save council taxpayers a lot of money.

Curiously, to me and many others, the really serious problem continues to be ignored - along with an obvious solution.

A relatively inexpensive exercise to see what could be done to the Milton and Subscription Rooms - and inspire some enthusiasm and support.

The urgent problem is the crumbling Subscription Rooms, a listed building that, by law, must be preserved. Its stone fascia is rotting away and wooden windows are about to crumble to dust, too late even for a lick of paint. So sad for our town's pride.

Heaven only knows what other damage is inside.

As the Milton Rooms is just an extension of this grand building, their future must be linked in any action plan.

Probably the best approach to arouse public interest in them, and the cheapest, would be to call in experts to seek out and log all the problems.

Then, a good, imaginative architect, should be commissioned to see what can be made of the troubled pair.

It's a real challenge a bright, young architect would enjoy. He could restore the former glory of the Subscription Rooms, and perhaps give the Milton Rooms matching appeal.

The cost? Far less than what Ryedale pays out on a regular basis for consultants to tell them what they want to hear.

And far, far less than a new building too.

The brief must be to give the twin towns and their array of talents a theatre to be proud of (which could double as the cinema we so urgently need also).

It could also house a social/community centre, maybe a proper home for the Citizens' Advice Bureau too; and others who do so much for our community. This is surely what everyone wants and the project could attract grants.

Norris Binner has outlined what he calls a "rescue package" but I feel sure he would also welcome a much grander scheme. He is a real crusader for change, but the will and the leadership must come from the district and town councils. The Malton Milton Rooms has been rescued so many times with cheap makeovers in its 70-year history, since it was "given" to the town by the Fitzwilliam family, but then somehow taken back (which seems a real puzzle to many).

I am aware of many other problems, and also the vested interests who don't appear to welcome any change.

The buildings cannot survive in their present condition and it's time to give an architect the opportunity to show that all dreams are permissible.

Can Mr Harold Mosley and his planning team persuade our councillors to take a pragmatic decision and avoid another year of talk, talk, talk? Let's all hold our breath for a minor miracle to happen.

Updated: 11:41 Thursday, August 02, 2001