Newly-elected Worth Valley Conservative councillor Kris Hopkins has given a boost to the campaign for home rule for Keighley and district.

Despite the government's previous refusal to agree to a boundary review, Cllr Hopkins says he discovered strong support for the call for independence from Bradford during the recent council election campaign. Now he wants to gauge the strength of feeling for a referendum on the issue - if it is legally possible alongside a local election. However, he admits it could take years to make out a strong enough case.

The Aire Worth Reform Assoc-iation has spearheaded the battle so far. Chairman Brian Hudson says the 14,000 people who wrote to the government asking for a boundary review were more than those who voted locally in the Bradford council election in which Mr Hopkins won his seat.

But he is pleased by the new councillor's support. "We welcome input from any of the politicians," he says. "If he would like to come to one of our meetings to hear our views he is more than welcome."

Mr Hudson, who unsuccessfully fought for the Keighley West seat at city hall, feels there are sufficient people dissatisfied with the current set-up to instigate a review.

Cllr Hopkins says, however, there are problems with the rhetoric thrown around so far. "It is a relatively simple concept to claim Bradford is really bad and we don't want to be in it," he says. "The Aire Worth Reform Association has brought the issue out into the open but I believe we need to go further than their proposals. We need a well thought out, economically viable, socially and culturally acceptable case if it is to be credible."

Mr Hudson says the Aire Worth campaign's latest move is to urge local people to sign letters to the Queen which will be sent in batches of 20. "If 14,000 letters are sent, along with the 14,000 postcards which went to the government we think that is a sufficient demonstration of support for a boundary review," he says. If you want to add your name to the campaign phone Mr hudson on 604379.

"We don't want to fight with Bradford," he insists. "We have to live with our neighbours."

Cllr Richard Wightman, deputy leader of the Conservative group on Bradford council, believes his party would deliver better value than their Labour opponents within the existing framework.

And he sees his new colleague's action as irrelevant when there are no plans for a review during the lifetime of the current parliament.

He says it is for the people to make representations to the Boundary Commission at the appropriate time. But: "We don't discourage public debate about this," he says. "There is nothing to stop people thinking they are getting bad - or good - value from the existing organisation."

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