The process which could bring a separate parish council to Burley-in-Wharfedale has begun with legal experts predicting it could be in place within a year.

A proposal to split Ilkley Parish Council area into three separate bodies is now going out to consultation after Keighley and Shipley area planning committees approved the review.

And because so much groundwork has already been done the whole process could be completed next year, according to a legal officer on Bradford council.

Corporate Government Lawyer Tony Kilner said the petition from Burley had been submitted to Bradford Council in December but it was not possible to proceed until the Boundary Committee review was complete.

But he said the district review could now go ahead and the whole procedure could be completed quickly.

Consultation exercises will now be carried out in Ilkley, Burley and Menston. If the proposals are found to have local support they will go before the Secretary of State, and a council could be up and running in Burley by the end of next year.

Mr Kilner described the timetable as "ridiculous under normal circumstances" but said it was possible in this particular case because of the work which had already been done.

He stressed the need for a full public consultation not only in Burley but in the other affected areas of Menston and Ilkley.

Ilkley council members have already indicated that they would not stand in the way if their neighbours wanted independence.

Menston Community Association is offering its full support to Burley as well as actively pursuing its own goal of a parish council.

Council officials have produced a map showing the Ilkley parish could be split into three.

Notices will now be placed in newspapers and copies of the proposals will be available in council offices and libraries. Consultations will also be held with Ilkley Parish Council, Burley Community Council and Menston Community Association.

Rombalds councillor Matt Palmer said: "Forty per cent of people in Burley are in favour of it which is quite remarkable considering that is more than the percentage of voters who turn out for an election."

But he urged anyone with different views to come forward now before it was too late.

"It is important to make sure that we consult with as many people as possible. There is a huge demand for it but equally it would be wrong to go ahead without giving people every opportunity to object."