A RETIRED head librarian from Liverpool who moved to Yorkshire in 2001 has won an overwhelming victory in a Keighley Town Council by-election.

Martin Walker, the husband of former Keighley town mayor and councillor Sally Walker, won yesterday's (Feb 23) contest for Bogthorn and Exley Ward, picking up 292 votes compared to his opponent Mohammed Ansar Ali's 13 votes.

A total of 305 people voted – a turnout of 18.4 per cent.

Responding to his win, Cllr Walker said: "I'd hoped to be able to make a difference, so I'm delighted to have been elected.

"I'm happy to now be in a position to influence debate on behalf of the ward."

He voiced his thanks to everyone who turned out to vote in wet and windy weather conditions.

He added he had made the effort to leaflet hundreds of homes in the ward, and was encouraged by the response he received from local residents.

Cllr Walker, of Wood View Road, Bogthorn, has previously said one issue of local concern he wants to address is speeding cars in Oakworth Road.

And he said he expects to be responding to residents' anxieties over the impact of the controversial, approved Occupation Lane housing development, which will see 124 new houses built at this location.

The plans for these houses were passed by a Government inspector in 2015, after originally being rejected by Bradford Council.

Commenting today, (Feb 24) Cllr Walker said yesterday's heavy rain had inflicted damage near the bottom of Occupation Lane, despite the fact that the new homes have yet to be built.

"I could see water coming out of the grids on Oakworth Road opposite Oakbank School, and in one place the force of the water had pushed the pavement up by about three inches," he added.

He also fears motorists from the new estate, once it is built, will use the unadopted section of Occupation Lane as a shortcut, instead of using Camborne Way.

Cllr Walker was previously in charge of the foreign books collection at Liverpool Central Library then head of Picton Reference Library in Liverpool.

After moving to Yorkshire he worked in Yorkshire Ambulance Service's Patient Transport Service for nearly 10 years.