Keighley’s new civic centre was officially opened by the Princess Royal (Princess Anne) on Tuesday, April 3rd.

About 300 people gathered in North Street to watch the princess arrive at the civic centre where she was welcomed by the Lord Mayor of Bradford, Naveeda Ikram, and Keighley town mayor, Tony Wright.

Keighley pensioner Eunice May Jones, one of the first to suggest that the former police station should become a civic centre, presented the princess with a postcard commemorating her great grandfather King George V’s Silver Jubilee in 1935.

The princess was escorted to the civic centre’s function room – the former Keighley magistrates’ courtroom – where she unveiled a plaque and officially opened the centre.

Princess Anne praised Keighley Town Council for succeeding in the “challenging” task of bringing a historic building back to life.

She said: “You seem to have assembled everything in this building to bring a civic society together. I hope all ages will enjoy it.”

Princess Anne will open Keighley’s new Civic Centre on Tuesday, 3rd April.

Housed in a former courthouse and an old police station, the Civic Centre  contains Keighley Town Council’s headquarters, a police museum and a tourist information centre.

Regenerating the buildings cost £1 million and there are facilities for conferences, public entertainments and weddings.

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The Bradford Telegraph and Argus (14th February, 2012) reports that Keighley Town Council wants to take over the management of all Bradford City Council’s car parks in the town.

Councillor Graham Mitchell, chairman of the town council’s transport committee, is quoted as saying that it would be realistic for the local council to run them.

The Keighley News reports (30th January, 2012) that local parish councils are leading a campaign against proposals to reduce bus services between Skipton and Keighley.

At the moment, seven buses run on weekdays and nine on Saturdays.

The area does not have a Sunday service and buses do not run on bank holidays.

The company operating the service has informed parish councillors that both its weekday and Saturday services are going to be cut to four buses a day.

To read this story and other news from Keighley visit  http://www.keighleynews.co.uk/news/9499651