IT IS incredibly good news that Bradford Council appears to have finally seen sense and abandoned its plans to cut its funding for Ilkley Literature Festival.

More than £11,000 of annual funding for the festival was set to be scrapped but following a major campaign by both local people and those from further afield who have enjoyed, attended and appeared at the festival in its 40-year history, it now looks like the decision has been reversed.

Although the Council grant does not, of course, fund the festival in its entirety, it is vital for unlocking further funding from arts bodies to enable the October event to be the major date in the literary calendar that it is.

Kudos must go to politicians including MP Kris Hopkins, Coun Anne Hawkesworth, and Labour candidate John Grogan for lobbying the Council about this. But most of all, credit is due to the festival board, supporters and local people who have campaigned tirelessly to get Bradford Council to think again.

It is quite plausible that, if no fuss had been made, then the cut in funding would have gone through unopposed and that could have been very bad news indeed for the future of the festival.

As it is, the future of the festival is as secure as it can be. But we must remember that it only happens at all thanks to the huge efforts of those involved, and organising such a massive event takes military-level planning and organisation.

So thank you, once again, to all involved in bringing such a major and valuable event to Ilkley, year in and year out, which attracts so much interest, prestige and tourism to the town.