A NEW fund launched by Keighley Town Council which promotes community action to improve local neighbourhoods is gaining momentum.

And a town council committee chairman said he wants as many people as possible to be aware of the £60,000 initiative and what it can achieve.

Councillor Barry Thorne, chairman of the town council's finance and audit committee, said the Ward Improvement Fund has already stimulated ideas and projects which will make positive differences to people's lives.

The fund involves £2,000 being allocated to each of Keighley's 30 town councillors. The councillors can distribute their share to groups or individuals who come forward with proposals designed to improve some aspect of their own ward. Applications for the funding are scrutinised by the finance and audit committee.

Cllr Thorne said: "It can be a group of people in a street who want to organise a clean-up, someone wanting to carry out some planting, or support for a community centre – the possibilities are endless.

"For Bracken Bank and Ingrow Ward, for example, we're giving £3,000 to help the Sue Belcher Centre.

"Elsewhere, we have people planning to instal some new planters in their street, and there's also a proposal to put on parties for pensioners this Christmas.

"This innovative £60,000 fund can make a big difference to small communities – it's low cost but high impact.

"It should have a snowball effect, once more people know about it."

Cllr Thorne said the committee's scrutiny of applications to the fund would ensure a fair, transparent process.

He encouraged Keighley residents and organisations with ideas on how to make use of the fund to get in touch with the town councillors representing their own ward.