Villagers have overcome the first hurdle in their fight to set up a parish council and turn the clock back more than 50 years.

Bradford councillors have given the go-ahead for residents in Haworth, Cross Roads and Stanbury, near Keighley, to seek approval from the Government to establish their own council.

Bradford Council's community development committee yesterday accepted a petition of more than 1,000 names for sending on to scrutiny by Deputy Prime Minister John Prescott at the Department of Environment.

Smith Midgley, who has been helping with the campaign, said: "The committee was being asked to accept the petition and put the issue out for public consultation before the application goes to the Department of Environment by mid-January next year.''

The campaign has been led by Haworth Residents' Association and Haworth Road Safety Group, which has called for a new parish council based on the former Haworth Urban District Council.

It was swallowed up by Keighley Borough Council in 1936, which, in turn, was taken over by Bradford Council in the early 1970s.

Mr Midgley hopes a new parish authority would help bring community matters and interest to the attention of Bradford Council.

He was Lord Mayor of Bradford in 1988-89 and stepped down as a district councillor four years ago.

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