THE possibility of employing a village warden to help clean and maintain Oxenhope’s streets and other public spaces was discussed at a parish council meeting.

Members of Oxenhope Parish Council debated the idea at their meeting yesterday, (Dec 12) after receiving a report from council chairman Cllr Ken Eastwood.

The report suggested such an employee could spend about four hours a week on a variety of jobs such as repairs, planting, putting up signs and street cleaning.

Parish councillors accepted the idea was good in principle, but raised queries about potential costs of insurance, whether four hours a week would be enough and how a paid employee would fit in with volunteers who have already successfully carried out improvement works.

Cllr David Ashcroft said: “I am supportive, but we shouldn’t go too far down this road without asking questions such as what amount of work we would expect the warden to do, what can we afford to have done, and what work we should prioritise.”

Acting chairman Cllr Robert Goulding noted that other nearby villages, including Haworth, now have their own wardens. He said: “I think we recognise there’s a requirement for a warden, but exactly what form the role would take needs to be part of a bigger discussion.”

Parish councillors agreed to revisit the warden plan when they put together their next budget.