PARISH councillors cannot determine which public services they can realistically take over from Bradford until they know what funds are available to pay for them.

Oxenhope parish councillor, Penny Cusdin, raised the concern during a meeting in the village, where she said it was important parishioners don't end up being taxed twice.

She was supported by Cllr David Ashcroft, who said: "Bradford Council has to unpick its costs and be more transparent than it has been before if we are to have a constructive dialogue so residents get an equitable deal."

Also at the meeting was Keighley West and Worth Valley ward officer, Liz Parker, who reported back on an Oxenhope consultation to gauge local people's reaction to Bradford Council's 'New Deal'.

The New Deal sets out what people can expect from public services in Bradford district in future, and what they can do differently in response to the much tougher economic climate.

The local authority has previously warned it has already had to cut £170 million from its budget since 2011, but is still only halfway through the Government's programme of austerity.

Ms Parker said the consultation had "unsurprisingly" revealed that most people wanted service delivery to remain as it is now.

She said many people still do not understand their council tax only pays for about a third of Bradford Council's services.

In a written report to parish councillors, she added: "Most people who took part wanted to stick with the status quo, which shows that a shift in thinking needs to take place and the message that business cannot continue as normal must be promoted more intensively.

"Some people felt it [the consultation] presented questions so great they could not really make decisions on them.

"Whilst it would have been useful to have their contribution, their responses were not without value, in that they engaged with the scale of the task facing Bradford Council."