GOVERNMENT levelling up minister Jacob Young has visited the Keighley & Worth Valley Railway.

He heard from bosses of the five-mile heritage line how a £1 million grant awarded by the Government's Community Ownership Fund would be spent.

The cash will help pay for the renewal of bridge 27, which carries the line over Bridgehouse Beck.

Mr Jacob met senior members of the railway at Oxenhope and then travelled with them to Keighley, stopping en route at the bridge.

And the group – which included Keighley MP Robbie Moore – ended the trip at the water tank house, which is being converted into a visitor centre.

Mr Young then headed to Providence Park, a seven-unit industrial development under construction with a grant agreement from the Government, and the Sangat Centre – which has received over £370,000 for refurbishments.

Mr Moore says: "Since being elected in 2019, I have helped secure record amounts of Government funding specifically ringfenced to get the regeneration of our town going again.

"It was a pleasure to show the levelling up minister how this funding is having an impact on the lives of everyday people.

"Repairs and restorations are currently underway to buildings across our area on the back of Government investment, and on top of the recent announcement of a new Airedale Hospital.

"I look forward to working with all involved to ensure these new investments are a success."

Mr Young says: "It was great to see how our investment is making a huge difference to people’s lives at the Sangat Centre and on the Keighley & Worth Valley Railway, as well as how we’re investing in the future at sites like Providence Park.

"Keighley is a fantastic place, and it was brilliant to visit."

John Grogan, Keighley's Labour parliamentary candidate, welcomed the £1m for the railway.

But he added: "It's worth noting the Government recently turned down a £20 million levelling up bid for Keighley, including for further improvements to the railway which would have allowed more trains to use the heritage line and people to commute from villages like Haworth and Oxenhope. It also involved unlocking brownfield sites for development and support for a new advanced robotics training centre.

"Since 2010, Bradford Council has had to make cuts of £350 million due to national reductions in grant. What the Government gives with one hand, it has more than taken back with the other."