It is a sad day for the Territorial Army in the Bradford district upon learning that two bases – in Manningham and Keighley – are to be closed by the Ministry of Defence.

The Territorials have a long and illustrious history in Bradford and it is a shame that these two sites are being targeted. It also comes at a time when the MoD is beefing up its reservist forces – giving them military pensions and healthcare benefits and making remuneration terms for companies which have employees who are in the TA more attractive.

The decision has apparently been taken because the level of recruitment at both centres is well below the target of 125 personnel – those with fewer than 30 recruits are being closed.

In some respects it perhaps makes sense to combine those sites which have lower-than-average numbers of recruits to create larger reservist forces, and with the MoD like every other Government department looking to make financial savings this move was perhaps always going to be inevitable.

The fact is, though, that the Territorials – now being renamed the Army Reserve – have an increasingly important role in the British Army’s operations both at home and overseas.

Perhaps rather than closing these centres, and also raising the question of what will happen to the sites, it might well have been a wiser investment on the part of the MoD to look at why recruitment has been falling in Bradford and Keighley.

It is possible that a fresh approach to attracting people to the reserve forces might generate enough new recruitment to inject new life into these bases and ensure their continued welcome presence in these communities.