RESIDENTS have only a week left to comment on an opportunity to create their own parish or town council covering villages including Crossflatts.

A two-month consultation by Bradford Council ends on July 31 and aims to discover if the 16,000 people in Bingley, Cottingley, Crossflatts, Eldwick, Gilstead, and Micklethwaite want their own local level of democratic government.

Campaigners, the Bingley Community Council Group (BCCG), sparked the move by presenting a 2,000 signature petition in favour of the idea to City Hall.

Letters explaining the Community Governance Review were sent to all residents and responses can be made in writing or by e-mail.

And while BCCG and others are urging residents to support the move, honorary president of Bingley Chamber of Trade, Howard Martin, said there were murmurs of opposition to the idea.

“A few of the comments I’ve heard suggest there is a feeling that the area covered by any new council is too wide for it to be effective. For example, Cottingley and Crossflatts have very different issues to Bingley,” Mr Martin said.

“And if local precept money gathered by the new council is being spent in Cottingley, people might say the village was being subsidised by money from Bingley.

“That’s a bit like the original complaint about Bradford Council raising money from the Aire Valley and it not being spent in Bingley.”

Ros Dawson, chairman of BCCG, said it was vital all opinions were heard by Bradford Council.

“The great thing about this consultation is that it’s there for everybody,” Mrs Dawson said.