A campaign to break away the Shipley and Keighley Parliamentary constituencies from Bradford Council and form a new authority gained pace last night - after two district MPs laid down Bills in Parliament calling for a referendum.
Residents would be given a vote to decide whether to stay under Bradford Council control or not, under the legislation put forward by Shipley MP Philip Davies and Keighley MP Robbie Moore.
Mr Davies said: “Many of my constituents tell me they do not feel Bradford Council cares about the Shipley constituency and get short changed. Bradford Council covers an area which is too big and we need a local Council which is completely dedicated to serving the best interests of my constituency and that of the Keighley constituency. Local government should be truly local and a new local Council would ensure money raised in the Shipley and Keighley constituencies was spent here.
“It would also mean local planning decisions would be taken by local councillors instead of by Bradford which would protect our greenbelt, which Bradford Council has been concreting over for too long. A separate council would end the focus being on Bradford town centre schemes, projects, and businesses.”
Mr Davies’ City of Bradford (Referendum on Shipley and Keighley) Bill would allow a vote on whether to keep the status quo or if two separate authorities would better serve the needs of the area. Mr Moore’s Local Authority Boundaries (Referendums) Bill would enable parliamentary constituencies to form new unitary local authority areas if agreed by referendum.
Mr Moore said: “Too often do I hear that things in the Keighley and Ilkley constituency are not getting done because of Bradford Council. Decisions are being made in Bradford City, for Bradford City. Local authorities need to work for all areas of their districts, not just the area with the largest population. That is why more power needs to be given to local people about how best their council serves them.
“Having a council that is more local to the Keighley and Ilkley constituency would mean that more time and money is spent in our area, whether that is by keeping our open green spaces green like on North Street, or sorting out disastrous parking schemes as we have seen in Ilkley.”
Both Bills have now received their formal first reading and will return to Parliament for second reading on Friday February 25 next year.
