Keighley people could make a permanent mark on the town centre -- and businesses could play a part in its future.

The twin offers come from the new boss of Keighley Town Centre Management group as work nears completion on the new bus station.

Cllr Andrew Mallinson wants people to suggest a name for a new public area outside the main post office.

The open space, created as part of the bus station project, has seats and flowerbeds and will be the setting for entertainment.

Cllr Mallinson has also issued a challenge to Keighley shops and firms to join the long-established Town Centre Management (TCM) group.

The group provides a voice for traders as well as making the town centre a safer and more attractive place to shop.

The new public area between the bus station and Airedale Centre will be a focal point for activities such as this summer's Children's Festival

Seating, flower beds, security cameras and lighting are being provided to make the paved area feel safe and welcoming.

Cllr Mallinson feels the naming of the new area, in a part of town steeped in history, should be a matter for local folk.

Suggested names could perhaps reflect the bus station's past -- it was the site of landmarks like the Hippodrome theatre and Drivers Milk Bar -- or look to the future. Suggestions will be published in the Keighley News and readers will be able to vote on their favourite.

The winning name will then be put forward to Bradford Council, which will make the final decision on suitability.

The council is one of the main partners on the Town Centre Management group, through its funding for town centre manager Sandra Parnham.

She has worked closely with the group on many initiatives, such as graffiti removal, hanging baskets, Christmas lights, Safe Child and the town centre web site.

Cllr Mallinson said it was vital that more businesses joined TCM to ensure their voices were heard when the town centre's future was being shaped.

Large firms must pay £1,000 in order to get voting rights on the group, and smaller traders can pay £45 or more to join the Keighley Pride sub-group.

Just six firms in Keighley are willing to stump up the £1,000, compared with dozens -- or even hundreds -- of businesses represented on groups in similar-sized towns around the UK.

Cllr Mallinson said: "It's disappointing to see so few funders. We have about 480 other retailers in the town that could have an input."

He stressed that membership was not necessarily confined to businesses in the Airedale Centre and surrounding streets, it could spread as far as outlying supermarkets and Keighley Retail Park.

People suggesting names for the public area should write to David Knights, Keighley News, 80-86 North Street, Keighley BD21 3AG, by Tuesday, February 5.

Businesses interested in joining TCM should phone Sandra Parnham on 01535 618085.