A GROUP hoping to set up a Town Council for Shipley is preparing to hand a petition into Bradford Council.

The Campaign for a Shipley Town Council has collected signatures from over 950 residents of the town. That figure passes the threshold required to legally trigger a formal assessment by Bradford District Council.

The campaign is now preparing to submit that request.

A spokesman for the group said: "We expect to submit in May as council officials have advised that they have no capacity to process our request until after the local district elections and maybe even the European elections."

On receipt of the petition, the 2007 Local Government Act gives Bradford Council a maximum of 12 months to formally assess the request ahead of a full vote by Councillors. If that Governance Review is successful, Shipley will be the 20th local council within the Bradford District.

Campaigners for Shipley town council launch next stage of effort

The campaign has found strong support across Shipley and has benefited from a number of local businesses, venues and community groups helping to spread the word and collect signatures.

The campaign group will now focus on working with community groups to "capture their priorities and to support potential candidates by providing access to training resources and advice."

Rob Martin, Campaign Chair said "it's a major step to have got this far and we look forward to a future Town Council making a real difference in Shipley. With major opportunities such as the £1m “Healthy Streets initiative”, it’s vital that this happens as quickly as possible."