'Appalled' councillor quits Keighley Town Centre Partnership (From Keighley News)

'Appalled' councillor quits Keighley Town Centre Partnership

11:00am Monday 4th February 2013 in News By Chris Young

A councillor has quit Keighley Town Centre Partnership because of what he describes as the “bureaucratic nonsense” he has to wade through to get things done.

Coun Andrew Mallinson, who represents Craven ward on Bradford Council, said he was “appalled” councillors had been told they had just two months to come up with £10,000 worth of environmental improvement projects in Keighley, and that the council had created a system seemingly destined to slow things down.

The Conservative member has asked to be removed from the Keighley Town Centre Partnership, which is dedicated to improving the town centre.

Last Thursday, the council’s Keighley Area Committee, of which he is also a member, heard it still had £38,013 to spend on numerous projects. This included a fund of £10,000 to improve Keighley town centre.

Jeff Bennett, area co-ordinator at the council, said: “We will set up a ward partnership team to see how these developments take place.” Their decisions will then have to go to other councillors for approval.

But Coun Mallinson said the town was already represented by the area committee, town centre partnership and Keighley Town Centre Association, and couldn’t understand why yet another group was needed.

He said: “I’m appalled we’ve got two months left of the financial year and we have £38,000 that still hasn’t been spent.

“I welcome money for the town centre environmental improvements, but no way are we going to come up with a project to spend £10,000 on in time.

“I welcome everyone getting involved, but this will just slow things down. We have two months to get on with something. We are just creating a dinosaur.”

Committee chairman Coun Steve Pullen said: “There are segments of the council that don’t know what another group is doing. We just want to tie this project together.”

Mr Bennett defended the new partnership, saying the idea was for all three wards that make up the town centre to have representation on how the £10,000 is spent.

After the meeting, Coun Mallinson said his role on the town centre partnership was undermined when such decisions had to go through another group or committee. He said: “It is just bureaucratic nonsense.”