A DISTRICT councillor has called for Keighley’s multi-million pound jam-buster programme to be scrapped.

Khadim Hussain, a former Lord Mayor of Bradford, is demanding Bradford Council step back and come up with a new ‘strategic vision’ to tackle the town’s congestion problems.

Cllr Hussain, whose Keighley Central ward suffers major traffic logjams throughout the day, has condemned the current £8.1 million package of measures as mere “tinkering”.

He said: “The short-term measures are waste of money. We can’t do everything piecemeal. Statistics show they will not have an effect on traffic times.

“I don’t think the highways officers are looking far enough forward, they’re just fire-fighting. Unless they take a step back and look at the whole picture Keighley will die.

“There are opportunities with devolution and the Northern Powerhouse – we should position ourselves to get some of that money.”

Cllr Hussain said that once the council consulted all stakeholders and devised a definitive plan to solve Keighley’s traffic problems once and for all, the town’s MP Kris Hopkins must demand funding from the government.

Keighley MP this week agreed with Cllr Hussain that Keighley people had waited a long time for the traffic improvements.

But he said: “We’ve had enough of drawing boards and endless consultations. The funding is there to start the work. Let’s get on with it.”

The council’s current plans involve ‘quick fix’ changes to road markings and traffic lights, due to be carried out this month; a new exit for the bus station along Cooke Street and the widening of North Street, both before the end of this year; and over the next few years a £7 million gyratory along East Parade and Gresley Road.

The council has also already allocated £1.7 for the short and medium-term measures, but must seek outside funding for the gyratory.