Cononley Parish Council will distribute a questionnaire to determine if there is interest in taking over the running of the village post office and shop.

The council gave the go-ahead last Tuesday to print 650 copies of a survey that will be sent out to all households and businesses in Cononley.

And it will also be distributed to some homes in nearby communities, such as Lothersdale, whose residents use the shop in Crosshills Road.

Cononley Parish Council chairman, Councillor Lois Brown, said the simple survey would ask questions about what services people use and whether they would be willing to volunteer to help run a community-owned shop.

Surveys are also available online at cononleypc.org.uk and on the council’s Facebook and Twitter sites.

Coun Brown said if the feedback from local residents was positive, a steering committee could be formed to explore purchasing the shop, which has been up for sale for the past two years.

“So far, we have received positive verbal feedback,” added Coun Brown. “The public has been very supportive and, generally, people want to retain the village shop.”

A meeting will be held in the village on March 20 to discuss the survey results.