IT’S great news that proposals for the Silsden-Steeton footbridge over the Aire Valley road are about to be approved, and I for one would like to thank Bradford Council for the hard work that’s gone into this.

It’s taken a long time, but they started by consulting residents and then perhaps surprisingly opted for residents’ preferred design – a vast improvement on the usual, ugly metal bridge with steps and long ramps for wheelchair and pushchair users. Seeking Government funding for the scheme did take a very long time. The council could obviously not fund such a scheme itself, given Government costs to local authorities over the last 14 years.

I hope everyone is now clear that the initial report in the Keighley News of October 31 covered the cost of this bridge (phase one) at around £13m, to be followed by phase two, which will involve additional walking, cycling and safety provisions in that area.

MP Robbie Moore’s complaint about the cost seems to misunderstand the two-phase nature of the project, and perhaps he would prefer the cheaper metal bridge option rejected by residents?

We should also remember the impact of inflation that has been particularly high in recent years, not only because of Putin’s war in Ukraine, but also the Tory Liz Truss budget, pushing inflation to 11 per cent.

Val Carroll, Silsden