A SPECIAL town meeting is being called to discuss controversial parking proposals for Ilkley.

Mayor Steve Butler has organised the event to enable the town council to gauge public opinion.

In a letter to the Ilkley Gazette this week he says: “I have been a Town Councillor for almost eight years and no other problem facing the town has caused so much discussion and debate in all that time. Some people are in favour of the proposed changes and some are not; some agree with part of the plans but object to the rest. The businesses in town appear to be united in feeling that their firms, and especially their employees, will suffer. It has proved impossible to find out the overall opinion of town residents about the scheme as a whole so that the town council can put forward a consistent representative view.”

The meeting will be open to all Ilkley residents and will take place at 8pm on Thursday, February 28 at the Clarke Foley Centre.