FOLLOWING the revelation in the Keighley News (January 11), I think it is right I make a statement highlighting my views on the whole situation, and the unhealthy way Bradford treats the outlying towns and villages of the district.

It is probably fair to say that most people want to feel that those who represent them in government are accessible, and in the worst-case scenario sackable, if they fail to do their job the way they said they would at the time of the election.

The Government has already expressed a desire to devolve power from Central Government into what has been described as a “Northern Powerhouse” – this would, in my view, mean the opportunity to have a complete re-vamp and re-think on the way local government is implemented within Bradford.

On the formation of the Council in 1974 every parliamentary constituency was divided into six district council wards each ward being represented by three ward councillors.

Theoretically that would ensure that each constituency had the same number of representatives (18) thereby giving some level of equality to each of the areas.

In practise however much depended on whosoever was the main political party within the Council: in the main the Conservative representatives were elected by those who lived outside the old City boundaries whereas those who lived within would elect Labour.

On top of this there is also the quite understandable desire for those who were elected to represent the new wards to vote in favour of proposals that affected their wards, including loyalty to the old boundaries. This resulted in a 54 votes to 36 weighting within the old City boundary.

This unfair and divisive weighting has meant that over time many services have been relocated into the city centre making it harder for those of us who live in Keighley, Ilkley, Bingley and Shipley etc to access them.

It has now been announced that the Council is to spend £15 million from Combined Authority funds and £60 million of our money in the city centre.

Now I don’t know if that includes the £4.1 million they have spent on buying the NCP car park, the £12 million earmarked for the Odeon project or indeed the £10 million they received from central government as a district-wide business rate relief, coincidently all of which was spent in the city centre.

It really doesn’t matter, what does matter is that your money, my money, is being spent by a Council who cares not a jot for anything outside the old City Boundary.

What has not been revealed is, regarding the budget for 2018-2019, 75 per cent of the 90 councillors have not, and will not, be given access to the “not for publication documents”. These documents are used to calculate, explain and justify the reasons for any spending made by Council, in particular the spending of the £60 million on the city centre.

These documents should be made available to councillors so they can be scrutinised to ensure best value for the ratepayers of the district. This knee-jerk cutting of services and jobs as a first resort serves no purpose.

I say enough is enough – we need our own Council, one that will ensure that people who live outside the old city boundary have access to essential services and one that looks after the infrastructure vital to every one of us. The time has come to get out of Bradford’s den of iniquity and bring important financial decisions closer to home.

CLLR BRIAN MORRIS Keighley West, Bradford Council