People power does work sometimes. The residents of Denholme have not yet gone as far as forcing a change of heart over plans to move the township out of Bingley Rural ward and into Bradford West along with Thornton, but they have at least persuaded the Boundary Commission to have a rethink about the proposal.

Their concerns are understandable enough. They see themselves as a rural outpost of the metropolitan district with needs which are not necessarily compatible with those of the largely urban area with which they would be teamed. Their fear is that their existing community links would be severed and their urban partners in Bradford West ward would be able to exercise more clout and leave Denholme at the bottom of the funding league.

The strength of feeling can be gauged from the fact that more than 1,000 people representing half the population signed a petition to the Boundary Commission while dozens of residents also made their individual protests felt.

Denholme has joined a very select band by becoming one of only three places across the country to be singled out for further consultation in this massive review of boundaries across England. It shows what can be achieved when a community decides to pull together if it finds itself confronted with a change it thinks is not in its best interest.

Of course there is no guarantee that at the end of the day the commission will change its mind, but the fact that it has taken such a rare step suggests it thinks the people of Denholme must have a strong case to present.