COMMUNITY groups and parish councils are to thrash out solutions to a flowerbed funding crisis due to hit their neighbourhoods.

District councillor Adrian Naylor is setting up meetings across in Silsden, Steeton and Eastburn to help minimise the effect of spending cuts.

He hopes residents and parish politicians will work together to take on some of the growing, planting and maintenance services currently provided by Bradford Council.

He said: “I’ve asked parish councils to invite other people so we include everybody, such as Friends groups or keen amateur gardeners.”

Cllr Naylor spoke after Keighley Area Committee last week discussed the potential effects of a recently-announced 80 per cent cut in spending on flowerbeds across the district.

Members heard the number of summer bedding plants in the Keighley and Ilkley constituency would fall from 87,500 to 17,500, and the town would lose all its hanging baskets, lamppost baskets and barrier boxes.

The council has suggested several options for the future, including grassing over some flowerbeds, inviting voluntary groups to grow plants and look after flowerbeds, and asking parish councillors to cover the costs through their precept to villagers

The favoured option is to have permanently-planted flowerbeds, with plants that flower at different times during the year.

The area committee noted the contents of the report during its meeting.

Members asked the Keighley Area Co-ordinator – the council’s lead officer in Keighley – to work with parks bosses, councillors and other interested parties to produce additional proposals for the future management of local flowerbeds.

The proposals will be presented to the area committee before the October planting season.

Cllr Naylor, who represents Craven Ward on Bradford Council and sits on Silsden Town Council, this week welcomed the committee’s decision to seek “proper guidelines” for individual communities.

He said each area might need a different approach, with some neighbourhoods accepting perennial plants but others that entered ‘in bloom’ competitions needing plants that flowered at a specific time.

Cllr Naylor added: “We’re going to find out what each community wants to do, then find out the financial impact.

“If you’re wanting groups to take on services like this, the first thing they’re going to ask is ‘how much will it cost?’.”

The area committee also discussed Bradford Council’s plans to charge bowling club members at least £15 a year each towards the cost of cutting the grass on bowling greens.

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