Campaigners aim to set up a parish council to provide a new voice for Rawdon.

Members of the local Conservative party are keen to canvas local residents to see how much support there is for a new body.

A Rawdon Parish Council would be able to oppose planning applications, campaign on issues of local concern such as road safety and press Leeds City Council for improvements.

Neighbouring Horsforth has already been given the go-ahead to set up a new parish council and residents in Aireborough district have already been canvassed, while there is cross-party support for the idea in Pudsey.

Now Graham Latty and colleagues from the Pudsey Conservative Association are distributing flyers across Rawdon inviting local people's views.

They say just 500 names on a petition could be enough to trigger the process of setting up a Rawdon Parish Council.

"By doing this we would learn in advance about all planning applications, not after the event," Mr Latty said.

"A parish council would be a forum for local opinion and a channel for local views."

The area covered would be bounded by Apperley Lane, Green Lane, The Billing, Woodlands Drive and Well Lane, he said.

"Parish councils do not have as many teeth as the city council, and some of the issues they deal with may seem trivial- but they are not trivial if you happen to live there," Mr Latty said.

A Leeds City Council spokesman said: "A petition in favour of a parish council from ten per cent of the people of a district, sets a formal procedure in motion.

"If campaigners are successful in collecting this number of signatures, the council must send the petition to the Secretary of State, together with its views within three months of its receipt.

At this point we would also summarise any information we have about the opinions held by electors in the area, or any other relevant information or observations."

Anyone wishing to support the campaign for a parish council for Rawdon is asked to contact 0113 258 7296.

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