Skipton'S new town centre manager Chris Aldred believes "tweaking" rather than radical changes is the way forward for Skipton.

Mr Aldred took up his post last week and since then has been wading through paper work to get to grips with events in the town.

The newly created position is a collaboration between Skipton Town Council and Craven District Council and Mr Aldred will have the task of making sure both councils' priorities are met.

He will play a key role in developing proposals for Skipton and facilitating joint working between all agencies and businesses involved in the town.

One of his goals will be to help raise the profile of the town as well as helping to co-ordinate activities which will benefit the whole district.

He said: "There's not much wrong with Skipton. It's a case of tweaking. There are certain areas where there could be improvements. It's not rocket science.

"Most people who live here know what the main issues are, the traffic, the litter and rubbish."

Mr Aldred, whose father, Donald, was rector of Holy Trinity Church for nine years until his death in 1994, wants people to find him easy to approach and says that his interests are not merely restricted to the town centre.

"It would be easy to focus just on the High Street but it's about the whole town," he said.

"It's a unique job in a unique town," he added. "It's a lovely place. You just have to look out there. It's not just one thing, it's a combination of things - the historic buildings, the setting, the canal, the vibrancy of the market, the fish and chips. It's a very pleasant place."