COUNCILLORS will have the final vote on whether to create a Shipley Town Council in the new year.

Yesterday members of Bradford Council's Audit and Governance Committee discussed a recent consultation into plans to introduce a parish council in Shipley.

Damien Fisher told the Committee that letters asking for people's opinions on a potential town council were sent to every home in Shipley in September. People were invited to fill in a paper response or make their feelings on the idea known on the Council's website.

860 people responded, with 77 per cent of those in favour of a Shipley Town Council.

Although just 8.2 per cent of the town had their say on the idea, Mr Fisher said this was a higher response rate than a consultation into town council plans for Bingley - to which just 4.55 per cent of Bingley residents responded.

Councillor Geoff Reid (Lib Dem, Eccleshill) said: "Any Councillor will tell you of the frustration of doing a public survey and getting results that are 50/50 splits. Getting over 75 per cent support is significant."

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Chair Councillor Michael Johnson (Lab, Tong) is chair of the committee and said: "Our role is to make sure there has been a proper consultation. A good majority of the people who did respond are in favour of this."

The committee agreed that the consultation was sound, and that the public support for the town council was clear.

It will now go before a meeting of the full Council in early January where members will decide if the plans should move forward, with the first Town Council elected in May.

The Council will be funded by a precept to Shipley residents' Council Tax bills.

Although the Council would not replace Bradford Council, it could decide to run local services, such as public toilets.