TOWN councillors in Keighley will this week vote on whether to rescind a previous decision to keep their council’s police and forensic science museum open.

The vote will take place at the full, monthly meeting of the town council in Keighley Town Hall on Thursday.

Deputy mayor Councillor Javaid Akhtar and Cllr Judith Brooksbank have proposed that the museum, which is in Keighley Civic Centre, in North Street, should be temporarily closed.

Visit Tours of the attraction are already been suspended.

The chairman of the council’s civic centre committee, Cllr Peter Corkindale, explained that the council had been receiving conflicting advice on whether it has the legal authority to operate the museum. He said the council needed time to resolve this confusion.

Cllr Akhtar said: “Because of the advice we’ve had from NALC (National Association of Local Councils) and the need to comply with our external audit we must look again at the legality of what we’re doing. If we haven’t been doing things right, then we need to put it right. This may need to be resolved at a Government level.”

“There may be an issue with the Localism Act, because the Government – with good intentions – is trying to give more powers to parish and town councils but it isn’t going far enough.

“The rules aren’t clear and there are a lot of problems with parish councils up and down the country who are getting caught out.