Non-claimer: Farmer maintains 26-year tradition of not claiming expenses as councillor

The North Yorkshire farmer, who received an MBE for services to charity in 1990 and became a freeman of the Borough of Harrogate in 2000, is currently climbing Mount Kilimanjaro.

He has been chairman of Claro Enterprises, a workshop employing the mentally ill, since it opened more than 20 years ago, and has raised millions of pounds for charity.

The Wathvale ward councillor, who attended 28 of 34 meetings in 2009-10, could have received the basic allowance in the last year of 4,204.80.

Coun Rosalyn Fox, of Castle ward on Scarborough Borough Council, attended 51 out of 55 meetings but cost the council just 4,092.96 in the 2009-10 year.

Mrs Fox works part-time as a retail assistant for nine hours a week and lives near the town hall, so this significantly reduces what she could claim for travel and subsistence.

She said: "I walk to all my meetings and if we're going to meetings out of town, we car share. I don't drive myself so I'm able to use public transport or car share. I don't want to claim expenses because I can pop home for lunch if that's required.

"I'm not in it for myself. I'm in it for my residents and the people who elected me. But saying that, Scarborough is a large area so there will be councillors who have to travel in from the other side of Whitby."