IT’S terrific news for Keighley that the launch is here of the huge £4.8 million initiative to stimulate economic growth and jobs in the town.

The programme will help people living in some of the most deprived areas of our community.

In particular, support will be given to those who have struggled for a long time to find employment.

And businesses looking to start-up or grow will receive backing, which in turn will create more jobs.

Some three years of hard work by a small but dedicated team have brought us to this point, and those involved deserve the highest praise.

Securing £2.4m from the European Structural Investment Fund has taken a great deal of painstaking effort.

The cash will be match-funded in a venture which has massive potential for the town.

We would urge businesses and organisations to grasp this opportunity, particularly as the programme will most likely be among the last locally to receive Euro funding – certainly on this scale – before Britain departs from the European Union.