A LOCAL politician has criticised the government’s decision to give £25 million to Keighley and Shipley at the expense of Silsden.

Cllr Adrian Naylor said sizeable rural communities such as Silsden deserved a cut of the government’s recently-announced Towns Fund.

He claimed such small towns faced huge challenges that made them just as deserving as their bigger neighbours to receive regeneration money from Westminster.

Cllr Naylor, who sits on Bradford and Silsden councils, spoke after the government announced this month that Keighley and Shipley would share in £25 million from a national £3.6 billion Towns Fund.

Keighley will only receive cash if local organisations come together to develop innovative ways of improving their communities.

Cllr Naylor said ministers had said they wanted to help “forgotten towns” – but he claimed Silsden was even more forgotten as it lay on the periphery of the Keighley area.

He said: “Yet again the rural areas of the district are being forgotten. It begs the question: has there been consideration for the rural areas rather than just towns?

“Rural towns are the first in line when it comes to taking additional housing development but they’re at the back of the queue when it comes to receiving infrastructure.”

Cllr Naylor said housing estates – Silsden is earmarked for 800 new homes before 2030 – put pressure on existing infrastructure such as schools, utilities and transport networks.

He claimed Silsden would also suffer in coming years because the development of local land for new business units was not being actively pursued by Bradford Council.

He said: “The Council’s Core Strategy has reduced aspirations for employment land in Silsden, moving it to the back burner and not looking to develop that in the medium-term.

“We’re seeing housing being built in Silsden but the opportunity for the new residents to gain employment isn’t being developed.”

Cllr Naylor suggested Silsden could also suffer knock-on effects of delays to the building of the proposed HS2 rail line, designed to link London with the North of England, as well as lack of funding for improving the northern rail network.

He added: “The Town Fund seems to be throwing a few crumbs out.”