Worth Valley residents are being urged to put themselves forward as candidates for a new parish council.

District councillors are encouraging as many people as possible to stand for election to the Haworth, Cross Roads and Stanbury parish council.

Villagers were instrumental in getting the project off the ground with 2,600 voting in favour of establishing a parish council.

And with the elections for the new council on May 4, the April deadline for nominating prospective candidates is rapidly approaching.

Councillor Ralph Berry said: "It is vital that local people put themselves forward as candidates for election. Contested elections give credibility to an elected body."

Worth Valley Conservative councillor Kris Hopkins added: "It's important that we get people from each of the three villages involved and it's also important that the people who come forward recognise the different needs of each community.

"People on a parish council have the opportunity to make planning representations and to get locally important issues recognised."

Labour counterpart Councillor John Cope said: "I look forward to working with the new parish council. I would want it to be as successful as the parish council at Oxenhope, where such good work has been done on the Village Design Statement and schemes involving unadopted roads."

The parish council will have four councillors representing Cross Roads, seven for Haworth and one for Stanbury.

Each candidate must complete a separate nomination paper that should be returned to Bradford Council before April 3.

This must be signed by a proposer and seconder who have to be electors in the ward where the candidate is nominated.

Nominees for the parish council must be 21 or over to qualify and a British, Commonwealth, Irish Republic or European Union citizen.

They should also be an elector for the area and must have lived or worked within the parish, or a three-mile radius of the parish, for the last 12 months.

The applicant must also be free from any disqualifications specified in section 80 of the Local Government Act 1972.

Anyone interested in standing can obtain more information and an election pack from Keighley Area Co-ordinator Patrick Lawton on 01535 618008.

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