Haworth Combined Resid-ents' Action Group is pulling out all the stops in its campaign for a parish council for the village.

A meeting on Monday was attended by 35 people representing various groups including Haworth Round Table and the Aire-Worth Reform Association. Those attending agreed to begin a poster and leaflet campaign.

The residents' group has submitted a 1,100-signature petition to Bradford council calling for the formation of a parish council for Haworth, Cross Roads and Stanbury. Bradford council, which will forward the petition to the government, is to carry out a postal ballot as a way of further gauging support.

The Action Group is urging residents to vote in favour when ballot papers arrive next month.

Public meetings are to be arranged in all three villages to give people a chance to ask questions. A meeting to discuss tactics and recruit further support for the distribution of leaflets and posters is to be held at Haworth Community Centre, in Butt Lane, at 8pm on Monday.

Cullingworth and Oxenhope parish councils have offered to help and Denholme town council is giving moral support.

Action Group secretary Clifford Simmonds says: "The turnout for Monday's meeting was tremendous and the support received from organisations inside and outside the area is really encouraging.

"This is an opportunity to have a direct say in what happens in our communities and it must not be wasted. It is vital that everyone who is concerned with the future of our villages comes forward and supports the YES campaign."

The hope is to persuade John Prescott, in his role of Environment Secretary, to agree to the establishment of a new parish whose boundaries match those of the old Haworth urban district council which disappeared in 1936.

a Haworth parish council would fit in to the Bradford council structure of local government.

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