Robbie Moore, MP for Keighley and Ilkley, has called on Bradford Council to reverse its decision to withhold more than £2 million earmarked for improvements to rugby club Keighley Cougars' stadium, accusing the authority of conducting a "sham" process to reallocate the money elsewhere.
Moore has written to Bradford Council's chief executive, portfolio holder for regeneration and planning Councillor Andrew Judson, and Keighley Towns Fund Board chair Tim Rogers, urging them to honour funding originally secured for the rugby league club's Danny Jones Stand redevelopment.
The funding was awarded as part of the Towns Fund programme in 2022, with plans to modernise the stand at Cougar Park. However, Bradford Council has confirmed it will not release the money for the project.
The decision comes after Reform UK took control of Bradford Council earlier this year.
Moore criticised the council's handling of the issue, claiming a meeting was hastily arranged last week to discuss diverting the funding to alternative projects.
In a statement, the Conservative MP said: "It is simply outrageous that Bradford Council, now under the control of Reform, have confirmed they will not be releasing the over £2 million to the Keighley Cougars to redevelop their Danny Jones Stand, despite these funds being awarded for the project back in 2022.
"Last week, Bradford Council then pressed ahead with organising a sham meeting to quickly discuss the reallocation of the funds to other projects.
"The whole process has been shoddy, lacked openness and transparency, and been unprofessional."
Moore argued that the money should remain with the Cougars and be used for the purpose for which it was originally allocated.
"Bradford Council must reverse their decision," he said. "The funds should be allocated to the Keighley Cougars to redevelop the Danny Jones Stand, as the funds were originally assigned."
The redevelopment of the stand has long been viewed as a key part of wider regeneration ambitions in Keighley, with supporters arguing that investment in Cougar Park would bring economic and community benefits to the town.
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