Followers of the debate on Tesco in Ilkley have yet another significant decision day looming.

After the upheaval of the public inquiry and, the year before that, lobbying Bradford Council over the plan to build a new, larger supermarket in town, residents are now awaiting a decision of Bradford Council’s Regulatory and Appeals Committee next Thursday.

The recommendations of Bradford Council’s planning officers had yet to be released at the time of going to press, but it is possible any debate over the new store proposals could once again be closed after next week’s meeting.

But should the Council choose to say ‘no’ to Tesco’s application for the renewal of planning permission, another appeal, or legal battle, would not be entirely unexpected. The supermarket company maintains the law is on its side as concerns the conditions of the previous planning permission, which it believes it has successfully discharged. If the Council refuses permission to renew the planning permission – which was effectively granted by a planning inspector, after Bradford councillors had initially rejected the plans – it is likely the validity of the previous plan, and issue of whether it expired last month, will be the subject of intense debate.

Congratulations on minister role

Congratulations are in order for MP Kris Hopkins, who now finds himself in a key Government role following a Cabinet reshuffle by Prime Minister David Cameron.

It has been something of a stellar rise for Mr Hopkins, from councillor to leader of Bradford Council, to MP and now to junior minister at the department for communities and local government.

It is expected that within this department Mr Hopkins will be handed responsibility for housing, which is a massively important role in the current climate.

On the one hand, there are calls for more housebuilding to cope with the increasing population of the country.

On the other, there are ongoing campaigns – many in this area – to preserve local countryside from the attentions and bulldozers of the developers.

It will be a demanding role but we are sure Mr Hopkins, who has exhibited such a drive to succeed in politics on both a local and national level, will thrive in it.

We look forward to informing our readers about Mr Hopkins’ activity within this important new Government brief and are sure he will continue to fly the flag for this particular part of Yorkshire, as he has done previously.