A DEVELOPMENT trust could be set up in South Craven to bring new jobs, leisure facilities and other services to the area.

The idea is the brainchild of officials at Glusburn-based South Craven Community Action who want to see the area get its fair share of European and Government grants.

Trust members would be made up of South Craven people who know what the area needs.

North Yorkshire has access to £40m of European cash over the next six years and £7m from the Government.

The formation of a development trust would oversee the drawing up of a document detailing what South Craven was lacking and which existing services could be improved.

A meeting of invited representatives from groups and organisations across the district heard how successful development trusts across the country had brought new life into towns and villages.

South Craven Community Action's chief officer Milton Pearson told the meeting: "We want to put together an investment prospectus and we need an independent group to oversee it.

"This group should take a South Craven-wide perspective to avoid parochialism and people sticking up for their own village projects."

Hugh Rolo, from the Development Trust Association, said that such a body would be non-profit making and would plough any surplus back into the community.

"Development trusts take different forms. Some of them are companies limited by guarantee and others are registered charities," he said. "We're not talking about something short-term, we're talking about something which is going to endure, with small steps over a long period of time."

Mr Rolo added that one of the reasons people got involved with development trusts was because they had become disillusioned with attempting to get funding from local councils.

He said development trusts could spearhead recreational activities, provide care services, and training programmes.

"We're talking about the kind of organisation that can add value at a community level," he said.

"It involves people who are focused, and they're focused because they live there and notice what's happening around them."

Those at the meeting, which included representatives from the church, councils and community groups, agreed that a development group should be set up to look further into whether the formation of a trust was viable.

There are already 250 development trusts in the UK, handling more than £100m in grant cash.

The trusts are mentioned as a way of distributing such cash in Government literature on its Objective 2 and Single Regeneration Budget (SRB) handouts.