While austerity is the name of the game in most places at the moment, Ilkley could be lucky enough to land public facilities that the more prosperous times failed to bring.

Residents, following the tightening of the public sector purse strings, could be forgiven for keeping a slightly worried eye on Ilkley Pool and Lido, given the closure of Manningham Pool by Bradford Council.

Instead, it appears there is a golden opportunity for Ilkley’s community to gain from getting knowledgable members of the community involved.

Other community-led schemes to bring leisure facilities to the town have shown it can be a success.

Skate park steering group PipeDream proved that its scheme was anything but, as a final push of just a few months of intensive fundraising gained a purpose-built area for skateboarders and in-line skaters in Ilkley.

More recently, a phenomenal fundraising event on the part of Ilkley Rugby Club, boosted by major grants, gave the Denton Road club – and indeed the rest of the community – a sporting facility to be proud of.

Most recognise the outdoor pool Ilkley Lido as a gem of the town’s heritage but while the indoor pool is well used, there are fewer people singing its praises.

Indeed, facilities – or the lack of – have frequently been a subject of criticism in the local council chamber in recent years, and people visiting the pool for the first time are often frankly surprised that the town does not have a state-of-the-art leisure centre to match its prestigious reputation.

Of course, nobody was pretending it will be a simple task to secure funding, or indeed meet planning regulations, for a new pool.

But making good use of Ilkley’s bank of knowledgeable and experienced professionals certainly gives some credence to the likelihood the scheme could be a success.