A KEIGHLEY town councillor has announced he has been selected to contest a Bradford district seat in Keighley East ward for the Conservatives in May.

Cllr John Kirby has been a Laycock and Braithwaite ward councillor on Keighley Town Council since 2014. He joined the Conservative Party in March last year.

He said he was already aware of concerns voiced by Keighley East residents, and cited speeding vehicles and dog fouling as the issues attracting particularly large numbers of complaints.

"I have got together with residents in the ward to have anti dog fouling signs put up, but there's still a lot of work to do in this area," he said.

"Also, the speeding is horrendous from Riddlesden right through to Sandbeds. We need speed cameras put up before someone ends up killing themselves or killing someone else.

"These might seem like small issues to some people, but they are a major problem to the people who live in these neighbourhoods.

"I will listen, I will act and I will do my best to achieve what the people want.

"This is not about me, it's about the people of Keighley East having a voice and ensuring their voice is heard."

Cllr Kirby said he was strongly opposed to the waste to energy incinerator planned for the site next to the Aire Valley Bypass.

He added that he would be embarking on walks around Keighley East and encouraged people who see him, and have concerns about local issues, to come and have a word with him.

Cllr Kirby has been chairman of the town council's allotments and landscapes committee since 2015, and is involved with ongoing work to transfer Bradford Council assets to Keighley Town Council.

He lives in Mytholmes, has been a bus driver for 16 years and is married with three children and five grandchildren. He is originally from Dalton Lane, Keighley, and was educated at Holy Family Catholic School.