MORE than £9,000 has been paid to celebrities to visit events in North Lincolnshire over the last five years.

A total of ten stars were paid by North Lincolnshire Council to appear in the region between 2005 and 2009, with a total of £9,300 spent.

The figures were obtained by the Scunthorpe Telegraph in a request made to the council under the Freedom Of Information Act.

One of the biggest sums was paid to former snooker star Dennis Taylor, who pocketed £2,500 for attending a Sportsman's Dinner, held as a fringe event prior to last year's cycling Tour Of Britain, which started in Scunthorpe.

Mr Taylor spoke at the black-tie event, which was held at the Forest Pines Hotel And Golf Resort, near Broughton, in September 2009. Proceeds from the night, which also included an auction, were split between Scunthorpe's Lindsey Lodge Hospice and Sport Relief.

The highest-paid individual was performance poet John Hegley, who came to the region as part of the National Year Of Reading celebrations in 2008.

He earned £3,000 for the visit, which involved visiting schools and taking workshops.

Several writers came to the area during the National Year Of Reading, although their fees and expenses were paid using cash awarded to the authority through Arts Council England, not out of the North Lincolnshire Council funds.

Another notable name to head to the region during this period was Colin Dexter, who is best known for creating the world-famous character of Inspector Morse.

Mr Dexter, who was paid £2,700, appeared in Scunthorpe in January 2009 at an event organised by North Lincolnshire Libraries.

He explained to the audience at the Plowright Theatre how Morse, who appeared in 13 novels and numerous short stories, was adapted for television, as well as talking about his own walk-on parts in each episode of the drama.

Acclaimed American novelist, Lionel Shriver, was also brought to North Lincolnshire as part of the National Year Of Reading. She was paid £425 to be the key speaker at the Readers' Festival, held in Barton- Upon-Humber in October 2008.

Others booked to come to the region during the National Year Of Reading included Sophie Hannah, who was paid £270, Roger Ellory, who took £280, Anne Zouroudi, who was also given £280, Peter Grimsdale, who was paid £75, and Karen Maitland, who was given £10.

The final celebrity was Stephanie Calman, who was paid £150 in expenses to appear at a North Lincolnshire Central Library event in 2006.

A North Lincolnshire Council spokesman said: "Our spending on 'celebrities' is very low and, as the list shows, represents good value for money.

"Most of the people listed were booked to visit North Lincolnshire during the National Year Of Reading and were paid for with special funding from Arts Council England.

"John Hegley, for example, visited schools and shared his passion for poetry in a series of workshops.

"This was something those children are likely to remember for the rest of their lives."