CHANGING local authority boundaries with public backing would “re-empower local communities who feel forgotten about” a Conservative MP has suggested.

Robbie Moore, Conservative MP for Keighley and Ilkley, spoke of the challenge facing his constituency to the Commons.

“My constituents feel that they are being used as a cash cow for Bradford,” he said.

“Local representation matters. Individuals and communities need to have trust in their local authority which is charged with acting in their best interest regardless of which political party may be in charge at a local level.

“My Local Authority Boundaries Bill aims to re-empower local communities who feel completely disenfranchised and forgotten about by their local authority.”

He added: “In my view there is a risk that if a local authority is too large in terms of the number of residents it represents or the geographical area is too great, or a single city is getting all the attention from the local authority with the outlying towns and villages being deprioritised, then communities suffer.”

Bradford Council leader Susan Hinchcliffe has previously argued strongly against the proposal to split the district.

When the plan has been put forward before, Coun Hinchcliffe has stated that it "simply does not make sense" to set up two local authorities where you now have one. She has argued that setting up another local authority would double the costs – as each would have to have its own chief executive, senior management team and bureaucracy to deliver the same or possibly worse outcomes.

Mr Moore’s Local Authority Boundaries Bill was listed for a second reading on Friday, March 24, 2023, but is unlikely to become law due to a lack of parliamentary time.