More than £70,000 to be spent on road repairs

Ward councillor Martin Smith (Con, Ilkley) welcomed the approval of tens of thousands of pounds of funding for repairs to roads around Ilkley, at a meeting of Bradford Council’s Keighley Area Committee last week.

The committee gave the go-ahead for priority road repairs totalling more than £70,000 in Ilkley and Addingham – but further roadworks schemes in Ilkley and Addingham, identified on a reserve list, missed out on the latest round of council funding.

Among the schemes that did not make it this time was a project to resurface Main Street in Addingham, at a cost of £65,000.

But Cllr Smith was pleased to see resurfacing work at the bottom of Victoria Avenue in Ilkley agreed, after some years of him putting pressure on council officers.

He said: “Also approved were similar works to Margerison Crescent and Denton Road, a long stretch near the suspension footbridge, plus surface dressing to Ilkley Hall park, all totalling about £71,000.

“On the reserve list are schemes for resurfacing or top dressing on Ben Rhydding Road, Victory Road, Strathmore Road, Craigmore Road, Belmont Road, and East Parade, which may be carried out this year if slippage occurs, or reconsidered in 2014/15.

“Emergency works and strategic works are dealt with in a separate budget,” Cllr Smith said.

The Committee meeting also heard an update on talks between Bradford Council officers and other organisations, including parish and town councils in the Keighley constituency, about the future of public toilet blocks.

The meeting heard talks were still ongoing about the possibility of a locally-funded street cleaner, who would open, close and clean toilets at Sugar Hill, Addingham.

The meeting also heard Ilkley Parish Council is still exploring options for keeping the White Wells public toilet block, on Ilkley Moor, open.

A further progress report on public toilets is expected to be presented to the Committee early in 2015.