Savile's Scarborough honour to be removed
Jimmy Savile's name is to be removed from Scarborough's list of Freemen of the Borough.
Councillors have voted to delete his name from the role of honour as a gesture of support to his 300 alleged victims.
There was also an unsuccessful call to exhume the disgraced presenter's body and cremate it following complaints from the distraught family of a child who is buried in a neighbouring grave.
The council will decide whether to permanently scrap Savile's Freedom of the Borough status when a Metropolitan Police investigation concludes.
Leader of the council, Mr Tom Fox, who raised the motion to delete Savile's name from the honours board at a town hall meeting, said it was the first time such a move had been proposed in Scarborough.
He said:
– Councillor Tom Fox, Leader of Scarborough Borough CouncilWe have some very serious issues, serious allegations and indeed the quotes we've heard from the Metropolitan Police don't use the word 'alleged'.
They actually describe Jimmy Savile as a serial, predatory paedophile.
I think it was most appropriate that the council, at least in the first instance, considered removing it from the board.
The late star was awarded the accolade in November 2005 to celebrate his links with the North Yorkshire resort, where he owned a second home and was buried overlooking the sea a year ago.
The wooden plaque listing Scarborough's freemen - which adorns the town hall lobby - will be taken down and sent away to be changed.
500 Savile victims
