Rate rises threaten to make a town a commercial desert, a councillor has warned.

Tory Councillor Eric Dawson is backing Silsden shopkeepers who say high business rates and big out-of-town malls are crippling their trade.

Peter Brook, who runs a menswear shop in Kirkgate, has written to Prime Minister Tony Blair to tell him of their plight.

Councillor Dawson (Craven) said: "Silsden is turning into a commercial desert. There are empty shops which are not being taken up and the place is becoming just a dormitory for Leeds and Bradford.

"It will be even worse if a new bypass is built as part of a scheme for proposed new housing. People will just ignore the centre.

"The only places that seem to be opening are takeaways. We've three fish and chip shops, two or three curry houses and a pizza place is about to open.''

Mr Brook, whose family has traded in Silsden for 102 years, said his rates had risen by £600 to £5,000 for the coming year. He warned Mr Blair his Government was killing off small shops

"People are not coming into town anymore. They would much rather go to White Rose centre or Meadowhall," he said.

His call is backed by Paul Hawkins, who owns Kaleidoscope Kitchens in Kirkgate.

He said: "My rates have increased 14.6 per cent - inflation is 2.4 per cent. What incentives do people have to come to local shops?"

Keighley MP Ann Cryer said she was prepared to take up the case with the appropriate Government minister and invited the traders to send her details of the increases.

"Small businesses have to be encouraged in communities like Silsden or they just become dormitory towns. Local shops are a valuable part of the community," she said.

A spokesman for the Inland Revenue, which sets the rateable value, said: "We review the rateable value every five years and we are in the process of doing that now, but they will not come out until next April."

She said the rises experienced by some Silsden traders were probably a result of the transitional relief scheme which allowed for the impact of previous increases to be phased in. "The majority of businesses should not face an increase bigger than the rise in inflation this year," he said.

A Bradford Council spokesman said the authority collected the business rate on behalf of the Government. The rate is calculated by the Inland Revenue and based on the property's rateable value, which takes into consideration the level of rent the property would attract on the open market.

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