TWO Ilkley ward councillors are calling for swifter progress to be made on solutions to the town's car parking problems.

Councillor Martin Smith (Con, Ilkley) and Cllr Mike Gibbons (Con, Ilkley) said not enough was being done to tackle the issue nearly a year after a Bradford Council survey on parking in Ilkley was carried out.

The survey, published in October, found the biggest issues caused by parking tend to be within 400 metres of Ilkley railway station, although not all the problems are caused by commuters. Many shoppers struggle to find a space and local residents are sometimes obstructed in their own street.

The aim of the study was to to inform Bradford Council’s short, medium and long term decision making around the management of both on-street and off-street, as well as residential parking. A number of recommendations in the report are currently being considered by Bradford Council.

Cllr Smith said: "We are now running nearly a year since the car parking survey was completed and although details were available in October we are still waiting for Bradford Council to propose options to resolve Ilkley’s car parking issues of insufficient car parking for the railway station and parking on the street."

Cllr Smith said it was now three years since he and Cllr Gibbons, along with former Ilkley MP Kris Hopkins, secured a meeting with then transport minister, who visited Ilkley to discuss the problem. Cllr Smith raised issues relating to the use of the station carpark by commuters seeking to use the cheaper Metro services from Ilkley into Leeds and Bradford. Cllr Smith said the issue saw "parking all day locking up access to homes and parking on the footpaths obstructing the highway".

At a recent Ilkley Parish Council meeting Cllr Gibbons again raised the idea of building another level on Ilkley's Tesco carpark, to be funded jointly by Network Rail, the West Yorkshire Combined Authority (WYCA), Tesco and Bradford Council.

Cllr Smith said: "Tesco need additional parking at the weekend and the community needs extra parking through the week. So Bradford are raising this with WYCA and Network Rail to see if a solution can be found in that direction.

"We need to look at more partnership working between Network Rail, WYCA, Bradford Council, Tesco, the business community and residents, all who have problems and could benefit. We can get together for a solution our community's needs.

"It may be with multiple options but we need these out in the open so we, as a community, can discuss them and seek a solution for all. I hope options can come forward in the next six weeks, and I mean options so that progress can be made."