COMMUNTIES across Craven are being asked to comment on the future of their telephone boxes.

British Telecom is currently considering the removal of 41 payphones, including 21 within the Yorkshire Dales National Park.

They include 21 'traditional' red telephone boxes which can be taken on by communities under British Telecom's 'Adopt a Kiosk' scheme - as in Settle's Gallery on the Green.

BT says with the huge rise in mobile phone ownership, there has been a 90 per cent drop in the use of payphones in the last ten years, with some going a whole year without being used to make a single call.

Notices have gone up in those payphones under risk of removal, with communities given until March 17 to make their comments to Craven District Council.

However, with BT saying it would not remove any phonebox in the case of the local authority raising an objection - all those in the national park look set to stay, following a blanket objection by the national park.

The park authority says all the payphones need to stay for a variety of reasons, including a lack of mobile phone coverage and the need for a network of public phones in an area used by thousands of visitors for potentially high risk outdoor activities. It is also consulting with Historic England about the possible listing of some of the K6 kiosks, designed by Victorian architect Sir Giles Gilbert Scott.

Thomas Harland, the national park's planning policy officer, in his letter of objection, says the park's stand remains unchanged since the last time it was consulted on the removal of payphones at the end of 2009 and would continue to object to the loss of phones resulting in a significant detrimental effect on local services.

"The current proposals would see the number of payphones in the National Park halved which is clearly a very significant reduction in the service," he said.

"The authority wishes to see all payphones retained unless it can be clearly demonstrated that there would be no significant detrimental effect upon local communities and visitors. The authority does not consider that, through the application of BT’s generic criteria, adequate consideration has been given to the specific circumstances of a deeply rural area like the national park. The authority therefore objects to these proposals in their entirety."

A spokesman for BT said: “BT is committed to providing a public payphone service, but with usage declining by over 90 per cent in the last decade, we’ve continued to review and remove payphones which are no longer needed.

"Any removal of payphones is carried out in strict adherence to the Ofcom guidelines and, where appropriate, with the consent of local authorities."

Where there is no payphone within 400 metres, BT will ask for consent to remove it from the local authority.

"Where we receive objections from the local authority, we won’t remove the payphone. As an alternative to removal, we will continue to actively promote the Adopt a Kiosk scheme to all councils whilst being committed to maintaining the payphones that remain.”

A spokesman for Craven District Council confirmed that the council had received notification from British Telecom that it intended to remove a number of public payphones within the district.

“As a local authority we are responsible for carrying out the consultation to Parish Councils and Meetings and ward representatives. There is currently a consultation running until March 17. Once this has closed we have to collate all responses and compile a response to BT by March 24.

“The consultation process does give local communities the opportunity to adopt a traditional red ‘heritage’ phone box if they wish to do so.”