I SEE that Marks and Spencer are trying to drive another nail into Keighley’s coffin by closing their Low Street store.

This store has been there since 1935 and as far as I know has traded successfully since that date. Every time I go in there are people shopping and a queue at the tills.

I am hoping that we the town council, the MP, our local paper and other prominent citizens could come together to make representation to Marks and Spencer to rethink this decision.

I wonder if, as with The Body Shop, this is due to the new shopping centre in Bradford and the rate relief that has been given by Bradford Council to these premises?

All of this is a far cry from the promises made in 1974 by Government when we became a casualty of the Local Government Act 1972.

We have seen the access to justice removed from the town with the closure of both the magistrates and county courts, the practical removal of policing with the transfer of all but a skeleton staff to Trafalgar House in Bradford, the removal of many of the council’s departments to Bradford with the threat of more, not to mention the £65 million to be spent in Bradford city centre.

Is it not time for the people of our area to say “enough is enough”, we must fight for our town and our town centre?

Otherwise we will simply become a suburb of Bradford, with more and more of our green belt given over to housing.

The fact that Keighley attracts not one penny in Community Infrastructure Levy ensures this is a good place to build, but is fast becoming a poor place to live.

I have no intention of trailing off to Bradford to shop, and if I did what about the other retailers in the town?

How long before Next goes, or Beales for example? And then of course we have the wasteland at the corner of East Parade and Coney Lane.

I could go on but suspect I am preaching to the converted.

COUNCILLOR PETER CORKINDALE

Keighley Town Council

Oakworth