A Haworth, Cross Roads and Stanbury parish council has been given the go-ahead.

Yesterday it was confirmed that the government's environment department, headed by Deputy Prime Minister John Prescott, had approved the plans.

A rubber-stamping order will now go before parliament.

Elections to the new parish council are likely to be held at the same time as the district elections next May.

Cllr Ian Greenwood, the Bradford council leader, told us: "We now have to submit our comments to the environment department by the end of this month, and the order should be in force by April 1 next year.

"Bradford council fully supported the application and I am delighted it has been approved."

The campaign for a parish council was spearheaded by Haworth Combined Residents Action Group.

It organised a ballot of local residents which resulted in an overwhelming majority favouring the plan.

Full reaction will appear

in next week's

Keighley News.

Converted for the new archive on 30 June 2000. Some images and formatting may have been lost in the conversion.