Council's virtual budget simulator

Kirklees Council has produced a 'virtual budget simulator' that will give residents the opportunity to offer ideas that may be considered as part of the budget decision-making process.

Council leader David Sheard said: “The budget simulator gives people in Kirklees a feel for the scale of the financial challenge we face and how difficult it is to come up with a budget. It’s also an essential tool to help us find out what really matters to the people of Kirklees."

Annual report 2016-2017: Cllr David Sheard

“May you live in interesting times” is supposedly a Mandarin Curse. Yet, anything that occurred at the start of the year was inconsequential to what happened on the 16^th June when Jo was murdered.

Yes this is my annual “Council” report but the events of the 16^th put the entire year into perspective, the fact that it could happen made everyone rethink the place we live in. The only positive outcome to the event was the world response to the tragedy and the fact that due to Jo’s family the exact opposite of the intent of the murder is taking place in bringing us “More Together”.

It is becoming a repetitive theme about how we have to cope with government cuts, and yes it is dammed unfair that local services have to be sacrificed to pay for the greed of the Banking fraternity. But it is a fact.

Setting a budget in these circumstances seems like an exercise in self-flagellation but we had to do it. The rising demand for Social Care, fuelled in the main by an aging population and the pressure on the NHS meant that pressures on services that are not targeted to those in most need are under the greatest threat of reduction or of disappearing. We also suffer in Kirklees from our past “Yorkshire” “carefulness”, we have never been a profligate authority under any political leadership, so we are cutting from a lean carcass.

But I think I am a more “half full” rather than “half empty” person so do see the opportunity in making changes and being a passionate believer in public services I can see that the Council can, and must, do many things no one else can do; we must grasp any opportunity to provide the best services we can with the resources at our disposal. The changes to technology offer us many opportunities to improve how we do things. We also need to embrace the concept of allowing people to do things for themselves, with all the help we can give.

The budget, the LDF, problems in children’s services and regional devolution (if it will ever happen) dominated my year as leader; fortunately I had a Cabinet providing the leadership needed.

At the ward level I benefit greatly from having ward councillors to work with, with the Bus Hub (I hate that word) up and running, with Firths Park developing and the Green offering a great event venue, community issues have not been oppressive. The Friends of the Library, Friends of Firths Park and the Town Traders Association are all working well. The amount of individual casework has not indicated any particular trend but is constant, occasionally presenting a new problem to solve.

In all a year I would prefer not to remember.

Kirklees Budget 2017: Proposed, Seconded, Backed

At the Kirklees Council Budget meeting, February 2017, a budget proposal was put forward by the Labour administration.

Cabinet Member for Resources, Cllr Graham Turner, proposed the budget. The Deputy Leader, Cllr Shabir Pandor, stood to second the budget proposal. The Leader of the Labour Group and Council, arose to give his backing.

You can see all three speeches here:

 

Annual Report 2015-2016: Cllr David Sheard, Leader

Leadership

It is starting to get difficult not to repeat what I said last year; things are not getting any easier. If anything things only seem to get worse but that only makes the reason for being here all the more important. 

It has always been frustrating that the vast majority of the public have little idea of how the council spends its money, or how it raises its money. This is aggravated by common belief in conspiracy theories that seems all too prevalent nowadays. Recent statements by a Government Minister that we should not listen to experts add to the problem. I pose a question to illustrate this fallacy; If you needed brain surgery, who would you feel happier performing the task, someone who had 5 years at University, 20 years of experience and has done the operation 100s of times already, or a guy from down the road who has borrowed a “Do it Yourself, Haynes Manual” from the Library. 

I know it is my report but being leader I could only achieve anything through Cabinet Members;

Cathy Scott who has taken the Housing portfolio and made it a Home’s portfolio, advancing our strategy to create an organisation that delivers on all fronts. Steering the merger of Building Services and KNH, working with all involved to see a smooth transition into a service we could be proud of. Ensuring our strategy for creating more homes of all tenures, particularly homes that people can afford, she has also co-operated with other Cabinet members in our wider agenda and played a full role in developing the policies that keep people safe and tackling inequality.

Steve Hall who rose to the challenge to sort out a failing (as far as members were involved) planning control system, a thankless yet vital task in that very few members of the public understand the system and fewer still understand how vital development is for the future of the council and how much some perverse decisions were costing us. He also saw through massive changes in the Place Directorate, a department hit proportionally hardest by the cuts. Steve was tackling the costs of road maintenance and was keen to see us delivering more with less.

Graham Turner who took on one of the most diverse and challenging roles in the Cabinet, that of Resources. A title that does not reflect the importance of the task, hard enough in normal times, but dam near impossible in Interesting Times. Not only do we have to keep an eye on council finances but managing incredible levels of “downsizing” including asset transfers, demanding hours and hours of patient negotiations. The Resources role touches nearly every aspect of the council, the very survival of the council is dependent on steering a financial plan, on making unpopular and tough decisions when required, and sticking to them. 

Erin Hill who is probably the youngest cabinet member Kirklees has ever had, but it does not show. Before joining the Cabinet she had taken on a “shaky” licencing committee, steering it towards being more aware of current problems, the way she tackled this entrenched committee demonstrated her ability to be an excellent cabinet member. She was much more than a Breath of Fresh Air to children’s services at probably the most difficult of times for the service with all the failings reported from other authorities. She demonstrated an ability to absorb large amounts of information and translate the guidance into action. The unexpected problems that arose were being tackled with great skill and we all were confident of her steering the department into a successful future.

Viv Kendrick, it is very difficult to comprehend that Viv is only one person. It would be very difficult for anyone to comprehend the changes to adult social services, the move to “New Council” let alone to steer them to success, at the same time being bombarded with numerous “current” cases that she tackled with gusto. It is difficult to comprehend how anyone could achieve the same results without the wealth of experience Viv has. The changes to adult services probably demand too much of one person, yet Viv also took on the role of chairing the Health and Wellbeing Board, in better times a role that would be a full time job for anyone, another role in constant flux.

Peter McBride probably demonstrates my biggest failure. Knowing that Peter’s wealth, breadth and quality of understanding of economic development, apprenticeships, strategic planning and regional politics cannot be matched even by a number of people and despite Peter wanting to impart his knowledge to others, I failed to ensure that happened. This meant that Peter not only undertook one of the most difficult tasks this council has ever had, the LDF, he also made sure that Kirklees punched well over our weight at the region; policies that Peter developed have been accepted as regional and national policy. Though we disagree about fun fairs, Peter has been tireless in trying to bring vitality to our Town and village centres. Just to be clear, the failure was mine not Peter's.

Shabir Pandor handled the schools portfolio in a time of constant change when it was proposed at times that we should have no contact with schools, when financial pressures meant we had difficult decisions to take.

I am sure we made a positive contribution. 

Through the year the importance of being part of the Leeds City Region became more and more important, but at times more difficult. The Chancellor was trying to get everyone to sign up for local devolution but was insisting on “Elected Mayors”, a bit difficult for us in West Yorkshire given that all five authorities had voted against the concept in referenda.

But we decided to negotiate and decided our preferred model would be based on the Leeds City Region, unfortunately the conservative MP’s in North Yorkshire, who George thought might help him in his bid to become premier (yes not that long ago that was a possibility) interfered and tried to impose a boundary that would have seen West Yorkshire funding the agricultural districts in North and East Yorkshire; remember farmers don’t pay rates. All this confusion left us at the end of the year no nearer to devolution.

In the Ward

 

Heckmondwike continues to be fortunate in having three Labour councillors, we work together on many issues and try to keep each other informed. 

When I first was elected, the majority of cases I dealt with involved housing that declined over the years, but is now becoming more common again. Whether it is people looking for a home or trying to cope with a poor private landlord. At a time when there are less and less “affordable houses” either to buy or rent.

Probably the second most common complaint I now deal with involves anti-social behaviour. I don’t know if the rise is due to worse behaviour or lower tolerance but whichever it is the problem is a real one. People need to feel secure and safe, that is why working through the NMT (Neighbourhood Management Team), regular liaison with the Police and other enforcement agencies help us tackle problems and hopefully prevent some happening, an example being we keep a close watch on empty buildings to stop them becoming a future problem.

We did see over the year the forming of a Friends of Heckmondwike Library Group, a group that have already successfully organised events. As have the Heckmondwike Traders Association and those working on Christmas Lights and the Crown of Lights Music Festival, thanks to all involved.       

Kirklees Council Leadership and Cabinet

At the Full Council meeting of 29 June 2016, Cllr David Sheard was elected Leader of Kirklees Council, and appointed Cllr Shabir Pandor as Deputy Leader.

Together they will take up the challenge of leading the Council through the tough times it faces, and along with their Cabinet, drive forward the corporate plan to get the best out of services with the resources available.

The severe cuts that have been imposed on the Council budgets by Government, means this will be no easy task. The Leadership and Cabinet will together oversee a vast range of work, but work which invites input not just from other Labour councillors, but from leaders and members across all political groups.

These are unprecedented times for Kirklees, times in which we can only achieve positive outcomes by building positive relationships, politically and with our richly diverse communities.

The Cabinet portfolios will be lead by the following councillors:

Cllr David Sheard (Leader) and Cllr Shabir Pandor (Deputy Leader): Strategy and Strategic Resources, New Council and Regional issues.

Cllr Masood Ahmed: Community Cohesion and Schools

Cllr Erin Hill: Family Support & Child Protection
(Statutory Responsibility for Children)

Cllr Viv Kendrick: Adults, Health & Activity to Improve Health
(Statutory Responsibility of Adults & Public Health)

Cllr Musarrat Khan: Highways and Neighbourhoods

Cllr Naheed Mather: Housing and Enforcement Management

Cllr Peter McBride: Economy, Skills, Transportation and Planning

Cllr Graham Turner: Asset Strategy, Resources & Creative Kirklees (Arts)



 

Talking Housing Policy - Kirklees Cabinet and John Healey MP

Cllr Steve Hall, Cllr Cathy Scott, John Healey MP,
Cllr Graham Turner, and Leader of Kirklees Council
Cllr David Sheard (not pictured, Cllrs McBride and Kendrick)

Member of the Labour Cabinet met recently with John Healey MP, the shadow housing Minister, to discuss the housing crisis.

Over a 2 hour meeting many ideas where discussed on how the current housing crisis in Kirklees could be addressed. 

John took on board the comments from the Cabinet, and is to feed this back to his team. These will contribute to developing policies to help address the current Government's abject failure to ensure a decent home for all. 

Ensuring everyone in Kirklees has access to a decent home is a priority of the Cabinet, and they will look at all the possible options to achieve this. 




 

Kirklees Council: Devolution and West Yorkshire

Following the 2015 General Election, the Chancellor gave a speech in which he highlighted the approach of the government towards devolution:

“A central part of our Queen’s Speech will be a bill to enable a radical new model of city government.”

He went on to emphasise greater control over local transport, housing, skills and health care, and stated that:

“The levers you need to grow your local economy and make sure local people keep the rewards,” were on offer. However, he also insisted that “with these new powers for cities must come new city wide elected mayors who work with local councils.”

You can see Kirklees Council's Leader, Cllr David Sheard, present the latest information of what this means for Kirklees, at the Council Meeting of 2 September 2015.

Annual Report 2014-2015: Cllr David Sheard

I must start this annual report with the Heckmondwike Bus Station or in METRO terms the Heckmondwike Bus Hub. It is now open after a process that has been running, not from the time we decided to build a bus station where it is, but from a time in the early eighties when myself, and the then Conservative Councillor, Friend Fisher were trying to get a bus station built on land that the council owned, having been bought by Heckmondwike Council to allow the building of a new Swimming Pool and council offices (Heckmondwike was never pretentious enough to want a Town Hall). That land was where McDonalds now stands.

Obviously that never materialised, along with a plan to bypass the town centre on the railway line from the Robert Peel to Huddersfield Road, or the plans for a bus station (obviously a very small one) on the triangle of land at the top of the Green.

We come now to the current location. I had mixed feelings about demolition of the George (originally called The George and Dragon, presumably renamed to ingratiate the town with Royalty), but the resultant open space it created I have to admit made the town brighter.



We purchased most of the properties we needed to build a Bus Station and new library, unfortunately one property owner held out and we had to start compulsory purchase procedures, due to that owner “playing the game” in order to squeeze as much money as he could from a, to be generous, a mediocre property, incredible delays were incurred.

This brought us past the time when the Banking Community gambled on secondary mortgages in the Mid-West of America and through their immense greed, would have brought capitalism crashing to the ground, if Governments throughout the West, Governments who the Capitalists say should not interfere in their schemes and wheezes, bailed them out.

Unfortunately, despite the noble efforts by George Brown to stimulate the economy, praised by economists throughout the world, the Conservatives managed to perpetuate a lie, not challenged by the wishy washy Labour Party MPs, that somehow the Labour Party were to blame for this failure of Capitalism and they convinced the electorate to vote for a government intent on rewarding the rich. The Liberal/Democrats who had their heads turned with the chance to be Cabinet Members, joined with the Conservatives in their aim to “Roll Back the State” (their way of saying, cut taxes for rich people and blame the poor for being poor) by dismantling, or selling, public assets.

This freeze meant our plans for a library and bus station were immediately downsized, then downsized again as Eric Pickles, in ecstasy over the joy he got in making cuts to the Northern Councils made even more.

But at last we have a “Bus Station”, it is looking well, there are some problems over Traffic Flows in the Town Centre still to be worked out, but we are getting there.

Otherwise on the local front case work increases as the cuts and the downturn in the economy bite. More housing problems, school allocation problems, Social Care Problems and environmental health issues have presented themselves, some obviously have been impossible to resolve. One particular problem we have had locally has been with “Travellers”, despite our efforts to secure council land; one particular group has caused us problems. It appears that no action can be taken against them for breaking locks or gates to gain access to other peoples land; apparently they are allowed to fly tip at leisure as any action against them would be discriminating against them. We will continue to do all we can to prevent these encampments.

Unfortunately, another effect of the cuts, the ABLE project had to fold. Over the years it had provided training and opportunities for many vulnerable people, their plans were not helped when Eric Pickles intervened in the Planning Process to overrule the “independent” inspector he had appointed to stop the Ponderosa Development that included expansion plans for the ABLE project. The legacy of the project is that we have acquired a fishing pond in Heckmondwike that will be run by a Youth Fishing Club hopefully.

Another year of success for The Crown of Lights Music Festival, demonstrated how much we rely on the efforts of dedicated individuals for doing something for the community.

A year as Leader of the Council at a time when Councils, particularly in the North, are under pressure much more draconian than anything that has gone before, is at the least, “challenging”. The challenge has been, and still is, to set and operate a budget that protects the members of our Society who cannot, through no fault of their own, protect themselves. To establish a growth for our area that enables us to maintain a minimum level of services, to encourage that growth against a background of Nimbyism masquerading as environmental concerns, to encourage that growth whilst Conservatives bury their heads in the sand and have no reservations against misleading the public.
The demand for Council Services is growing at a rate that would cause pressures for a growing budget at a time when budgets are contracting. Services that we have all come to expect are having to be cut, whilst the strongest voices against the cuts are those who by voting Conservative, voted for the cuts. Any service that we do not have to provide statutorily has to be questioned. We need to ask ourselves, does the service meet our needs of caring for vulnerable people; does it keep them out of care or delay their need for care? We need to look for new ways to do things and for new partners to work with.

There is a Mandarin curse, “May you live in interesting times”. We are living in “Interesting Times”

Cllr David Sheard - Labour Leaders Statement

"The future of Kirklees Council and the services it provides will be determined not only by the local election but also by the result of the general election.

"Whatever the result Kirklees has to change what it does and how it does it, I have seen election leaflets promising more services and lower rates, some people may believe them but most people live in the real world.

"The differences between Parties are more distinct now at a local level than has ever been. The Labour Party is committed to Jobs and Growth. We believe everyone has a right to a decent home and a decent life. I refuse to apologise for helping those who can’t help themselves or those who have been left behind in this “all in it together society”. We are proud that we have implemented a “Living Wage” for all Kirklees employees and will continue to fight for a living wage for all residents.

"We believe all people are entitled to decent care all through their lives, and despite all the tricks and cuts imposed on us by the coalition government, despite their attack on the North and their favouring of the South East we will continue to help those in most need. But we refuse to pretend we can do that and protect all services from change. There are no “magic beans”

"With some other parties you do not get what it says on the tin."

Why Kirklees Labour want to pay a Living Wage to employees

At the Budget Council meeting in February 2015, the Leader of the Council and Labour Group, Cllr David Sheard, proudly announced Labour's support to pay employees a Living Wage.

There are significant benefits to paying a Living Wage and it is important awareness of these is raised.

On average:

• Staff absences drop by 25%
• Better customer service, fewer complaints and enhanced loyalty
• 80% of the workforce believe it has improved their performance
• Staff turnover dropping to 1% from 4%
• 80% of employers feel their staff delivered better quality of work
• An improved awareness of customers viewing the organisation as an ethical one

There is also a link between Health Inequalities and a Living Wage:

Evidence shows that insufficient income is associated with worse outcomes across virtually all domains of health, including long term health and life expectancy. The negative health effects of living on a low income can be caused by material factors - the ability to afford the items necessary for a healthy life - and/or psychosocial factors, such as anxiety and depression.

Paying employees a Living Wage is quite simply the right thing to do.

Context: The decision to close the Whitcliffe Mount Sports Centre

*A letter to Jo Cox, Labour's PPC for Batley and Spen Valley, from Kirklees Council Leader, Cllr David Sheard, in response to questions raised. Very importantly, the response offers some good insight and context for residents as well and serves as the reason for its open publication.*

Dear Jo

The decision to close the Whitcliffe Mount Sports Centre is final and there are no proposals from any Political Party or any other body to reverse that decision.

I personally have had no requests, other than yours for copies of the reports and minutes of meetings where the decisions were taken. All reports and decision summaries are available on the Council web site with the exception of reports that were deemed to be exempt from the public due to the nature of information in them.

Any information that was not considered exempt can be provided. I have asked the Chief Executive to write a report for Cabinet that can be put in the public domain, including all the factors (without confidential details) that were considered.

The decisions that will be taken by the Cabinet later this month will involve securing alternative provision where possible to reduce the lack of provision to a minimum as a result of the earlier decision to accede to the request from the EDA to set a date for demolition of the Sports Centre to allow them to create the new school on the site.

Cabinet have already taken the decision in proposing a budget to the council, to allocate funds to create a new sports centre on the Princess Mary Site including a sports hall, in the knowledge that the build will have to be completed before the current swimming pool is demolished as the current swimming provision in the area does not meet the current demand. It is intended that the sports centre would include a pool larger than the current pool to take up some of the unmet demand. This decision was part of the budget decision of full council. No Groups submitted an amendment to reverse that decision. The Liberal/Democrats made a proposal to not provide a public sports hall on the new site, but to add £2m to the Whitcliffe Mount School PFI to build a second sports hall for the school.

To my knowledge, this is not a request from the school, we have no indication that they are willing to take on this extra responsibility or indeed what their “offer” to the public would be. It certainly will not include Bowls and probably not include the “Fitness” users of the current facilities who make up over 50% of current users. Whatever the configuration included, the provision would not be continuous provision.

The choice for the Council is to buy a Sports Hall we will own, or give money for a “PFI” Sports Hall that will be owned by the school. This was not a difficult decision for the Cabinet to make.

In making the decision to close the Sports Hall on the date requested, the Cabinet asked KAL to conduct a review of Sports Provision in North Kirklees to meet and extend current demand; I understand that there are particular difficulties with Bowling and Roller Hockey and that a solution to their location is still being sought, though there is no reason that Roller Hockey could not continue to use the School Sports Hall when it is built, if the school are willing.

What must not be forgotten is that the council were approached by the school to help them in procuring new school buildings, something that we were very keen to do as one of the first acts of the current government was to scrap all investment in school buildings, in part so they could divert money in to their “pet” “free schools”. The timetable was driven by the needs of the school and the government agency in making their procurement decisions, the Cabinet did not want to “lose” the New School Build.

The Sports Centre is owned by Kirklees but is “land locked” by land owned by the Endowment Trust. The Cabinet was advised on the costs it would need to incur to retain the current Sports Centre but decided that better provision could be provided by a new Sports Centre. Once that decision was taken the provision for the Valley was considered. Mindful of the fact that a strong campaign had been launched in the Valley to retain the Swimming Pool and that new development was the only answer. In the current financial position, a good case (because of the swimming needs) could be made for the Spen Valley, but only for one Complex.

I understand that all current users do not want any change, but as only one Sports Complex can be funded, the location would be obvious to anyone looking objectively at the Spen Valley.

The pace of the decision making was at all times driven by the needs of the EFA and the school. We were ever mindful of the needs to build a new school.

David 

Sporting changes for the Spen Valley

Plans for a new extension at the Spenborough Pool and Fitness Complex to replace some services in the current Whitcliffe Mount building will soon be announced. 

KAL and the Council are hoping to build the additional space covering the health & fitness provision currently available on the WMSC site. 

The modular build units for studio and fitness use could be in place quickly, with the preference being for it to open before Whitcliffe Mount current provision is closed. 

Councillors and officers would then look at provision as a whole – meeting the needs of present customers, KAL and individuals – to look at provision that is not included in the new centre taking into account what will be provided in the new Whitcliffe Sports Hall and what is available elsewhere. 

Councillor David Sheard, leader of Kirklees Council, said: “We have discussed at Policy Committee the development of a new sports facilities strategy, currently being undertaken with the support of Sport England. We intend to take a strategic approach to facility development to ensure that any investment of very scarce resources meets strategic Council objectives and the most pressing needs of our communities. 

“This looks to be a plan worth considering. The modular build extension would cater for the health & fitness opportunities that are currently in place at Whitcliffe Mount Sports Centre, which equals almost 50% of current use of the site. 

“We know that in the long term there would be a huge issue if there is no swimming provision in the Spen Valley. The ambition to build a new Sports Centre to include swimming at Princess Mary is an ambition shared by local people and the Council, the Council having adopted this as a priority. 

“We do not want to be in a position where we don’t have facilities for current users, and we will have to work with partners to offer alternatives for activities not included in the modular build interim project, wherever possible. 

“But this is in the early stages, and while I understand people have concerns about closing Whitcliffe and the impact that will have on health and activity levels, we do need to consider what we can include in a new facility at the Spenborough Pool and Fitness Complex site whilst recognising we can’t create a gap in swimming provision.”

Annual Report 2013-214: Cllr David Sheard

Once more another difficult year as we didn’t get the message that Eric Pickles had realised he had made a mistake and he didn’t mean to penalise Local Authorities in the North.

Three quarters of the year I was Deputy Leader of the Council and for the rest of the year I became Leader, my portfolio in Cabinet did not change, mainly Resources with other odd bits and pieces added on. The biggest disappointment involved the budget debate, it is extremely difficult to see how anyone can believe that cutting £140m from our budget (about 30% from the bits we actually have control over) can be done without change. Unfortunately the Lib/Dems (who do know the scale of the problem) decided to be parochial and suggest extremely expensive projects in the wards they have members in, the Conservative Group (who despite having a spokesperson who claims to understand finances) decided there is no deficit and they too put in parochial bids for their wards.

In the Spen Valley the Area Committee continued to work well as did the Neighbourhood Management Group (NMG) that I chair. The NMG is a regular meeting involving councillors and local based enforcement and management agencies who meet to share intelligence and try to solve local problems, including particular individuals, buildings and areas.

In Heckmondwike the issue most on peoples minds (understandably so) is when are we to get our Bus Station, at the back end of the year the finances and plans all fell into place, but I am reluctant to celebrate until I see a bus being boarded in Heckmondwike Bus Station (whatever it is called).

The Market’s future was questioned again, we did ward off the prospect of closure, but I am sure the question will rise again. We saw the creation of a lake on the old Heckmondwike Goods Yard, part of the ABLE project that like many others has been held up in the financial downslide; let’s hope the rest of the project can get off the ground, along with the reclamation of the sewage works. The Graveyard chapels still pose us a problem but we did continue the development of Firths Park, upgrading the pavilion and expanding the Petanque courts, unfortunately we have not yet got CCTV installed.

We also saw the completion of works that improved the housing in Brighton Street (hats off to Viv who was closely involved in that project) with new insulation and pitched roofs. We saw a massive environmental improvement to the rear of Tower Buildings and a new roof on the houses on Strawberry Square; we (local councillors) still find the inspections of estates with Kirklees Neighbourhood Housing extremely useful.

We used the local Highway Budget on addressing the areas we saw as the main problem, as money gets tight we have had to put our unmade road program on the back burner unfortunately.

As far as casework was involved, planning once more presented more often than other work that included such things as vandalism, aids and adaptations, funfairs, litter, stolen goods, late night shopping and many more personal problems, not all council ones. It is much easier with three Labour councillors in Heckmondwike; we continue to work together both on individual and wider problems.

New Leader Elected

The Kirklees Labour Group can announce today that, following an official vote at their group meeting of 10 February 2014, Cllr David Sheard of Heckmondwike Ward, was overwhelmingly voted in as the new leader, by his fellow group members.

Lib-Dem Priorities

Kirklees Lib-Dem Group confused!

At the Kirklees Council meeting of 15 January, the Lib-Dems took the option to debate a motion on Fracking over that of the LDF (Local Development Framework).

Despite issuing press releases about the importance of their proposal to Council on the LDF, the Lib-Dems combined with their coalition partners, the Conservatives, to stop the council debating the issue.

Cllr David Sheard, Deputy Leader, commented: "It is hard to understand the move Kath Pinnock, Lib-Dem leader, took to vote to continue the debate on Fracking, leading to the council running out of time to debate the LDF, an issue she and her group had so vehemently suggested was of great importance."

It was not clear whether Cllr Pinnock realised, as the potential debate approached, that she and her Lib-Dem colleagues had been complicit in agreeing the original LDF submission in the first place, as the reason for sticking with the debate on Fracking. 

 

Heckmondwike: Planning Round-up

Plenty in the planning round up this week!

Four new applications this week, two for extensions in New North Road and Harewood Avenue, one from the Grammar School for floodlights and a higher fence round their plying fields and one that is more of a puzzle. The one that we intend to ask more about is for an "Agricultural" building in Norristhorpe Lane! What makes a building "Agricultural" and so exempt from rates?

The developer of the 49 houses on the site of the Healy Lane Sports ground has applied for conditions to be discharged, which I think he means he has complied; we defiantly think there are problems with the boundary trees and privacy for the neighbours, so we will be asking for more information. The Six-Lane Ends “Post Office” (that stopped being a post office some time ago) seems to have accepted defeat in the competition with Nisa and has applied to convert the ground floor into a flat.

The only other application this week is for a two floor extension up Truman Avenue.

Cllr Robert Light Attacks the Co-op

Cllr Robert Light made an amazing attack on the Co-Op movement in council, despite the fact that he knew that contingency plans were in place to move council working accounts if council funds were put at risk. Remember this is a working account won under tendering process, not speculating to make a quick buck.

Robert is not a stranger to risk, being in charge of the Cabinet in Jan 2008 when the council decided to speculate in Icelandic Banks just 10 months before the Landsbanki collapsed. Did his financial wizard, Cllr David Hall not warn him then?


Related Posts:
‘High risk’ to bank with the Co-op as Tories urge Kirklees to ‘get out now and avoid the rush’

Heckmondwike: Planning Update

Very little this week, everyone must be slowing down for Christmas, but there are two applications.

Morrisflex on Artillery Street have applied to build some extensions and for a new roof. There is also an application for approvals for some details to the plan for 11 houses at Forrest Hall (to the side of Heckmondwike Cemetery). If you remember this was an application we turned down, but was granted on appeal by the planning inspector.

Our main concern was that the access was unsuitable, but the Inspector did not agree with us.  

You can search planning applications for all Kirklees here.

Lib-Dems display their democratic credentials

In a by-election in Horsforth (Leeds) the Labour candidate defeated the Lib Dem candidate, but was out of the country when he should have signed the bit of paper to accept office. So even though he had won the election he was chucked off the council.

The controlling Lib-Dems decided there was no need to re run the election and that the council should co-opt a member to the vacant seat. The Labour and Tory councillors moved that the person who actually won the election should co-opted. The Lib-Dem majority outvoted them and co-opted the Lib-Dem candidate who had lost the election. Lib-Dems loosing/winning here.

Spen Valley Area Committee: Tick–Tock

The Spen Valley area committee meets on Thursday in Cleckheaton Town Hall, to end the situation in the Spen Valley where time has been standing still. The committee will decide if they wish to spend the £5,874 needed to mend the Town Hall and Heckmondwike clocks.

Details of the area committee meeting can be found by following this link.