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Silsden Town Council has opted to run online polls through the community website Silsden.net.

Residents will be able to have their say about Silsden-related issues through a questionnaire on the website. The hope is that a wider audience of people will be able to influence the council's decisions.

But results of the Internet polls will only be used to inform council decisions - the council will not be bound to act on results from the questionnaire.

Councillor Alan Edwards said: "I think it is an excellent resource but my worry is that the council will have to stick by it."

Silsden.net manager Peter Ford, of website design company FaxSol, said: "The council could use the results for information only."

Deputy Mayor Councillor Keith Savage disagreed with running polls and voted against the idea.

He said: "I don't understand why we have to have these polls, what is wrong with the tried and tested way, which we have always used, of people coming to the council?"

However, other councillors supported the idea, saying it would help more people to access the council.

Cllr Patricia Bottomley said: "I think we need to progress."

Ward councillor Andrew Mallinson said: "The numbers of people who can access the Internet are irrelevant. What it really boils down to is a state of equality, when we have people who can't leave their houses, or who are busy and can't get to the meetings. It is a way for them to access the council."

Councillors were initially worried polls would be open to misuse via multiple voting, or that people from outside Silsden would take part and make the results inaccurate.

However, Mr Ford explained that this would not happen.

He said: "The programme I'm interested in is quite sophisticated, you can collect the data in an expert way and as for security, no one person will be able to vote twice because the software will track their IP address.

"I could see you using it for contentious issues like Sykes Lane, or for flashing signs outside the schools."

He has accepted a £500 donation from the council to purchase the software and advertise the polls.

9:26am Thursday 20th September 2007

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