Keighley should once again have its own magistrates Court, the town's MP claims.

Ann Cryer fears that if nothing is done, criminal hearings could eventually be heard 11 miles away at Bradford. And in a hard-hitting broadside, she says the lack of a cohesive overall general strategy for the town threatens to cripple it.

Without a strategic plan the chance of magistrates returning to Keighley would be lost forever and the long-term benefits of other developments negated, she claims.

Adult criminal cases were shifted to Bingley in 1997 and all magistrates' work -- including licensing, family and youth -- was later transferred.

It followed the failure to win funding from the Lord Chancellor's office to build a new courthouse in Keighley.

Mrs Cryer said this week: "As I see it, Keighley magistrates -- based at Bingley -- are a sitting duck to be absorbed into a larger, more centralised court in Bradford.

"Had there been a degree of long-term strategic planning just a few years ago, it may have been realised that the requirements of the police were such that the then eviction of the magistrates court from North Street to Bingley was little more than a short-term fix.

"With a growing population, it would seem sensible to ensure that Keighley maintains its own criminal justice representation -- perhaps combined with the existing county court so as to adhere to the spirit of the new Courts Bill. However, unless thought is given to this matter now -- and this will have to involve West Yorkshire Police -- the chance will be lost and the migration to Bradford at some stage in the future will become almost inevitable."

Jim Staton, treasurer of Keighley and Craven Law Society, said he would like to see a magistrates court return to the town. But he felt it was unlikely to happen. He said: "I think justice should be focused in the locality and not dealt with outside the community, and it would be a good idea for Keighley to have its own court again.

"But the reality is that the emphasis now is on centralising courts because it is more cost effective."

Mrs Cryer said that with Keighley growing as part of the Leeds and Bradford commuter belt, it faced the challenge of meeting the demands of an increasing population.

She said there were several major schemes in the pipeline - such as the £23 million Keighley College development, the introduction of commuter services on the Worth Valley railway and the relocation of the police HQ from the town centre - but they were being carried out piecemeal.

"Clearly there is a great deal of planning activity going on in Keighley at the moment and this should be for the benefit of the town and its people, " she said.

"However, I am becoming increasingly concerned that all such developments are going on in a piecemeal fashion without any real co-ordination or long term, strategic planning.

"The danger of this is that the potential benefits that should accrue from redevelopment will be lost by the short term or unco-ordinated plans of individual organisations. There is no identifiable vision for the future of Keighley."

She said Keighley Town Council could play a pivotal role in developing a strategic plan. She added:"I am more than happy to take any proposals to the relevant Government minister, but unless the various stakeholders and the people of the town are committed to a particular plan or strategy, ministerial involvement is worthless.

"It is not a time for consultants -- we know ourselves what the issues are -- it is a time for political leadership at a local level. Unless that is forthcoming very soon, Keighley may well miss out on the benefits of the planned development the town deserves and needs."

l Keighley - the Future?,

a special report by Ann Cryer, page 4