The election of Councillor Kris Hopkins as MP for Keighley means he will be standing down as leader of Bradford Council and whoever replaces him faces some tough challenges.

Bradford Council, along with authorities everywhere, is going to have to tighten its belt as central government begins to slash spending.

Finding savings while protecting vital front-line services is going to be near the top of any list of priorities.

Major changes could also soon be on the way in education, which will be taken back into Council control in the not-too-distant future.

And even in the current economic climate, with many projects stalled, regeneration issues cannot be ignored – especially as they are now the responsibility of the Council after the winding-up of Bradford Centre Regeneration.

Bradford needs to be at the front of the queue, for example, when things do improve and Westfield looks to restart some of its mothballed schemes – and the Council has a key role to play in ensuring this is the case sooner rather than later.

There are major issues, too, in areas such as employment, health, housing and transport and this list is by no means exhaustive.

With such a crowded agenda and no one party with an overall majority, co-operation will be vital, locally as nationally.

Of course there will always be ideological clashes, but it is how these are dealt with and whether or not a sense of unity and purpose can be forged within the Council and across the district as a whole that will be key to shaping our future – and the district will look to the new leader to set the tone.