A man's £1 bid to buy the soon-to-be redundant Addingham First School site has paid off with village representatives taking up his campaign.

Harry Rowlinson wants the buildings converted into a community centre for the village instead of being sold off by Bradford Council for yet more houses.

Parish councillors endorsed Mr Rowlinson's campaign and plan to enlist the backing of Bradford Council's new chief executive Ian Stewart next month.

Parish Councillor Sharron Harris said: "We have no amenities for the children in the village - we have more houses and there is less for the children to do.

"If we could encourage the school to be a big community centre for the village there is all that space and so much could be done with it."

Parish Council chairman Alan Jerome said: "If you think of the facilities that are already there in the first school, they want to be put back into the community.

"We might not get all of it for a community centre but there are parts of it that could be allocated to the children."

Coun Harris said the site, on Chapel Street, was safe and well away from the main road through the village.

Parish councillors agreed that the subject of converting the First School into a community centre should be brought up at their meeting next month when Bradford's new chief executive Ian Stewart is planning to attend.

"This is something we ought to talk about at great length," said Coun Jerome.

Mr Rowlinson said: "We will carry on a campaign for a community centre. Even if we fail gloriously, we should let Bradford know they have a battle on their hands."

Mr Rowlinson has so far not received a reply from Bradford Council to his £1 bid for the site, but a spokesman for the education department said that no decision had been taken over what to do with the buildings once they become empty.

"Mr Rowlinson has been in touch about his proposal for a community centre but it is too early for us to say what will happen to the Addingham site after the school transfers to the middle school building next year," said the spokesman.

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