Supporters of a community library for Addingham have signed a landmark agreement with Bradford Council.

Members of Addingham Community Library took a step closer to running their own village library when they became the first group in the Bradford District to sign a service level agreement.

Bradford Council’s principal libraries officer, Jackie Kitwood, visited the library to oversee the signing of the agreement, which paves the way for the community takeover.

Bradford Council is pulling staff out of five libraries in the district to save money and Addingham is set to become the first community to run its own library.

The next step will be a questionnaire asking residents what they expect from their volunteer-run library.

Chairman designate of Addingham Community Library, ward councillor Adrian Naylor (Con, Craven), said: “This is a milestone for the group. We are now one step nearer our goal of saving the library, the next step is for us to get residents views of what they want from our library and when they want it to open.”

The building is owned by Addingham Parish Council, meaning the group – expected to gain charitable status shortly – will not have to find its own premises or pay rent.

Parish council chairman Coun Catherine Coates said: “We want as much community involvement as possible and we will be sending out a questionnaire shortly to allow people to send in their comments and suggestions.”

Bradford Council staff are staying on to train volunteers until they are able to take over running the service.