Yahoo News 'We need to get the basics right' says Kirklees Council Leader as priorities are unveiled
Kirklees Council needs "to get the basics right", its Leader has said when setting out her priorities for the current year.
In July, Councillor Pattison (Greenhead, Labour) was elected to lead Kirklees Council after her predecessor - Cllr Cathy Scott (Dewsbury East, Community Alliance) was ousted in a vote of no confidence. The councillor swiftly announced her 7-strong Cabinet who she says can bring "stability" to Kirklees.
After a few months in post, Cllr Pattison attended the most recent meeting of the council’s Overview and Scrutiny Management Committee to set out her priorities, with two members of her Cabinet - Cllr Graham Turner (Finance & Regeneration) and Cllr Tyler Hawkins (Corporate Services) - doing the same.
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Leader of the Council
Councillor Pattison explained that her key priorities are continuing from the Council Plan which was set earlier this year. These include: addressing the council’s financial position in a fair and balanced way, making council services more efficient, effective and modern, addressing the challenges of climate change and continuing investment in Kirklees’ towns and villages.
However, she also outlined some new areas of focus for 2024/25 as follows:
Getting the basics right: a modern organisation that meets resident expectations
Being a responsible organisation that protects the vulnerable and drives sustainability
Working with partners to empower people to thrive, including through good local health services, education opportunities, and housing
Driving local economic growth, especially through the cultural sector, and making the most of opportunities through our relationship with government and West Yorkshire Combined Authority
Working in a more collaborative and inclusive way
Speaking on the first point, she said: “We do need to get the basics right. I’m sure everyone in this room who’s a member or an officer will be well aware of the number of times it seems that the council doesn’t get things right, and as far as our residents are concerned, we want to meet their expectations as much as we can and are able.”
Addressing the second point, she added: “That can never go away can it? Protecting life and limb be it because of climate change or children who need to come into care for one reason or another - we have to be that responsible organisation.”
Councillor Pattison spoke of some of the council’s recent successes, namely the Good Ofsted outcome and the improvement in Children’s Services over the years, the progression of the Cultural Heart scheme, along with major developments across Dewsbury and the £11.5bn Transpennine Route Upgrade.
She also told the meeting of the administration’s push to work more collaboratively with opposition parties and the importance of working with and ‘pulling in the same direction’ as the West Yorkshire Mayor, new government and local MPs.
As for next year’s priorities, these will be set alongside the budget.
Finance and Regeneration
Councillor Graham Turner said he shared the priorities of the Leader. As for his portfolio, he said: “The priority at the moment is to deliver a balanced budget for next year - 2025/26 - and also working on a longer-term financial plan for the years going forward.
“The financial position of the council is still challenging, the finances of the nation are still challenging, so there’s a lot of work to do, but I’m confident that we will reach a balanced budget that meets our needs by March’s meeting.”
Councillor Turner spoke of the importance of the Local Plan in driving the economy, and said it will be developed as quickly as possible. He reiterated the council’s call for potential land for housing and industrial development and said some sites had been brought forward.
The councillor also explained that the local authority would continue to rationalise its assets due to having “too many buildings” that are “costing us too much money”, with a couple of auctions coming up in October and November.
Despite the financial challenges, Cllr Turner said there is still a need to invest in Kirklees for the sake of the economy and creation of future jobs.
Corporate Services
Councillor Hawkins said the top priorities within the corporate portfolio include providing support for the most vulnerable, modernising council services, clear and transparent communication with residents, enhancing the council’s traded services like markets and catering and cleaning services in schools and community facilities, and championing the workforce.
Under the modernising council services heading were the recent integration of the council’s Customer Service Centres and the post-16 home to school transport policy which has caused a great deal of controversy recently. Councillor Hawkins acknowledged the tough decisions that had been made and said the transport must be made “financially sustainable” while supporting learning.
On the matter of enhancing traded services, he said: “When I described the Dewsbury Market plans as game-changing, I did truly mean that. Our markets are at the heart of our towns.
“Their success is intrinsically linked to the success of the town centres. We’ve got to crack on and deliver this investment, re-energise our towns but make the most of that space as well for many generations to come.”
However, not all members of the scrutiny panel were entirely convinced. Councillor Jo Lawson (Crosland Moor and Netherton, KCI), said: “When we talk about getting the basics right, we’re not. Yes, we have to manage people’s expectations - most of my residents know that they are not going to get Blackmoorfoot Road resurfaced.
“They know that they’re not going to get that traffic calming scheme that they feel should be in place but they want their bins emptying, the fly-tipping removed, not weeks and weeks later while it builds up…they also want overhanging vegetation cutting back, the streets looking tidy and swept.”
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