Opinion

That statement was based on interviews and statements made to the church-based team from residents, mainly from areas like Lawkholme and Bracken Bank. The Keighley News reported it in detail at the time and it was hoped it may shock people into positive action.

It is, therefore, heart-warming to see the results of the survey of local people prepared for the Single Regen-eration Budget team, as we report on pages 1 and 5.

The vast majority of people living in the most run-down parts of Keighley are happy with their home and town. Those comments from a large percentage of residents are, as we say in our page one headline, unexpected.

This is not to say that the area is without its fair share of problems. There is still a long, long way to go. But there is reason for renewed optimism.

It is true to say that more people feel Keighley has got worse rather than improved in the last two years, with most others believing it has stayed the same. The question for any critics and cynics must be - is the pot half empty or half full?

What the survey has also done is identify specific areas of concern - such as poor job prospects, fear of crime and the environment.

The survey highlights the feeling that young people are generally negative about job prospects, thinking the chance of finding work has declined. That adds to a feeling among many experts that if youth unemployment can be tackled then other problems will start taking care of themselves.

However, looking at the comments overall, there is light at the end of the tunnel.

Converted for the new archive on 30 June 2000. Some images and formatting may have been lost in the conversion.