A councillor has defended Ilkley Parish Council's decision not to hold neighbourhood forums in the town.

Councillor Hazel Gundry (Lab, Shipley West), who chairs Shipley Area Panel which organises forums three times a year in Burley-in-Wharfedale and Menston, branded the parish council stubborn for refusing to adopt the system.

And Civic Society chairman Bob Tilley has criticised it for not providing residents with an opportunity to exchange views with Bradford Council through the forums.

But parish councillor Alec Henderson (Con, Ben Rhydding) has said the calls for a neighbourhood forum are outdated.

"When the Area Panel initiative was introduced in 1990 the parish council, whilst not wholly in favour of yet another tier of bureaucracy, supported the idea of more consultation with the public," he said.

"Since that date the parish council has held probably more open meetings than any other Neighbourhood Forum in the area.

"Since 1990, 45 minutes has been allowed before every finance and general purpose meeting, held every two months, at which the general public can raise issues.

"These open meetings have all been well advertised in the Press. I would remind Coun Gundry and other Bradford councillors that the parish council, which is an elected body, has a paid clerk resident in the town hall at least 20 hours a week, whose job is to deal with all issues concerning the parish."

Parish councillors claim experience has proved that the public will not always attend open meetings if they can come into the town hall during the day where there is a parish clerk and, more often than not, the chairman or vice chairman of the council.

Coun Henderson said Ilkley had three councillors per ward - 21 for this parish - who were unpaid volunteers on call when needed. He added that the parish council is represented on many organisations within the parish, including school governing bodies.

"We also hold the statutory annual parish meeting every March, either in Burley-in-Wharfedale, Menston or Ilkley and indeed, where specific issues are of concern, have held special meetings," he said.

"Area co-ordinators inform the parish council on all grants available as well as other issues of consultation. In a similar way the various departments of Bradford Council consult with the parish council on a very regular basis and we have always had good working relationships."

l The next open meeting will be held on February 17 at the Clarke Foley Centre, Cunliffe Road (Jack Lofthouse annexe), at 7.30pm. Items for discussion include the Darwin Gardens Millennium project.

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