Agenda and minutes

To receive apologies for absence from those Members who are unable to attend the meeting.

Apologies for absence were received on behalf of Councillor Itrat Ali.

To approve the Minutes of the meetings of the Committee held on 25^th July and 12^th September 2025.

RESOLVED –

That the Minutes of the meetings held on 25^th July and 12^th September 2025 be approved as a correct record.

Members will be asked to say if there are any items on the agenda in which they have any disclosable pecuniary interests or any other interests, which may prevent them from participating in any discussion of the items or participating in any vote upon the items.

No interests were declared.

Most agenda items take place in public. This only changes where there is a need to consider exempt information, as contained at Schedule 12A of the Local Government Act 1972. You will be informed at this point which items are to be recommended for exclusion and to be resolved by the Committee.

All agenda items were considered in public session.

The Committee will receive any petitions and/or deputations from members of the public. A deputation is where up to five people can attend the meeting and make a presentation on some particular issue of concern. A member of the public can also submit a petition at the meeting relating to a matter on which the body has powers and responsibilities.

In accordance with Council Procedure Rule 10, members of the public must submit a deputation in writing, at least three clear working days in advance of the meeting and shall subsequently be notified if the deputation shall be heard. A maximum of four deputations shall be heard at any one meeting.

No deputations or petitions were received.       

To receive any public questions.

In accordance with Council Procedure Rule 11, the period for the asking and answering of public questions shall not exceed 15 minutes.

Any questions must be submitted in writing at least three clear working days in advance of the meeting.

No public questions were received.

The report provides an update on the development of the Council’s Tourism Strategy and invites feedback from the Committee.

Contact: Richard Smith - Creative Development Manager

Councillor Carole Pattison, the Leader of the Council introduced the item and Richard Smith, Creative Development Manager provided a presentation covering the following key areas;

·       The Tourism Strategy was one of three key interlinked strategic documents. The Heritage Strategy had been approved in April 2024 and the third, the Cultural Strategy, would be brought forward in 2026. The strategies centred on telling. the story of Kirklees with the intention that they were interdependent but also distinct, supporting growth and creating a sense of pride for communities.

·       Collectively, the three strategies would provide a framework linking to the opening of the Cultural Heart and regional alignment with West Yorkshire.

·       This was the Council’s first Tourism Strategy and the need for a strategic approach to support growth and resilience in tourism, hospitality and visitor attractions had been reinforced by the post?pandemic recovery period.

·       The Council had commissioned research and development support from a specialist agency and this had included reviewing tourism trends and local consultation.

·       This work had identified the district’s strengths, as presented in the strategy.

·       Work had also been done to ensure alignment with the West Yorkshire Local Visitor Economy Partnership and associated Destination Management Plan.

·       The draft strategy had been presented to this Committee in February. It focused on improving visitor experience, supporting local businesses, regional positioning, celebration of strengths and benefits to residents and the community.

·       A public consultation had taken place for six weeks in May and June 2025, through an online survey and two in-person drop-in sessions. 258 responses had been received (with 93% being from people who identified as Kirklees residents). The majority of respondents supported or strongly supported the six identified areas of strength and the plans to develop them. Landscape and wellbeing had been ranked the highest, followed by heritage, music/festivals/culture, food and drink, sport and screen tourism.

·       Key themes from the feedback included; improving communications and promotion, improving venues and facilities, increasing inclusion and accessibility, strengthening travel infrastructure, promoting local businesses, developing green spaces and active tourism, community and regional engagement, diversification of cultural and screen tourism, development of accommodation, and town centre management and regeneration.

·       An outline was given of how each of these themes was referenced within the strategy and would influence future actions. It was noted that some elements fell outside the scope of the strategy but had been shared with the relevant Council services.

·       In respect of the potential impact of financial constraints on the delivery of the strategy, it was explained that delivery would be supported through working with the West Yorkshire Combined Authority and the Local Visitor Economy Partnership to bring investment into Kirklees, the redirection of resources to create a focused tourism role and strengthened funding bids.

·       The Committee were advised that the consultation feedback would be considered and the final Tourism Strategy submitted to Cabinet for approval in January 2026.

·       The Tourism Strategy would provide Kirklees with a clear direction for tourism development, strengthening the visitor economy and positioning the district with greater  ...  view the full minutes text for item 43.

The report provides an update in relation to increasing physical activity in North Kirklees and the next steps.

Contact: Martin Gonzalez – Public Health Manager

The Committee received a report in respect of proposals to develop a new sport and leisure facility in Dewsbury and to support wider improvement of physical activity levels in North Kirklees.

To supplement existing knowledge and insight, engagement work had been commissioned in respect of the barriers and enablers to physical activity, with a particular focus on Batley and Dewsbury, with the final report being received in early October.

On 21^st October, Cabinet had approved proposals to progress plans for a new sports and leisure facility in Dewsbury to supplement existing leisure provision in North Kirklees.

Councillor Carole Pattison, Leader of the Council, introduced the item and highlighted the following:

·       The proposals were at an early stage and input from Scrutiny was welcomed.

·       The research had indicated a strong demand for a replacement leisure facility, with a swimming pool, in Dewsbury.

·       Further work was required to determine the full scope of the facilities.

·       The importance of improving health outcomes and supporting people in North Kirklees to become healthier and live more active and longer lives was recognised.

Rachel Spencer-Henshall, Deputy Chief Executive, was present for the item and Martin Gonzalez, Public Health Manager, presented the report and advised:

·       Activity levels in North Kirklees had been significantly lower than other parts of the district and lower than the national average when the previous facilities had been operating so it was important to ensure that a new facility was useful and welcoming to as many people as possible and would better meet the needs of the greater part of the population. An options appraisal was therefore being prepared to establish how this could best be achieved.

·       It was acknowledged that delivery of a new facility would be a lengthy process so, in the interim, work would be undertaken to try and address physical activity inequalities alongside partners. KAL which would operate from community bases to expand capacity, broaden the offer and provide physical activity opportunities within the area, without duplicating work undertaken at grassroots level by communities and the voluntary sector.

·       A number of barriers to physical activity had also been identified in the consultation, including public safety in open spaces and affordability. Work was ongoing with partners to look at the wider systemic issues and how barriers could be overcome. As an example, a multi-stakeholder project under the Place Partnerships Expansion Programme, with Sport England specifically focussed on these issues.

Questions and comments were invited from Committee Members, with the following issues being covered:

·       In terms of the timescale for delivery and managing expectations, reference was made to the Spen Valley Leisure Centre which had taken approximately six and a half to seven years from concept to completion. Work would be undertaken in the interim to increase capacity and support the community.

·       In respect of budgetary provision, the Administration intended to propose inclusion in the Council’s Capital Plan and it was hoped that all political groups would support this.

·       The funding for the feasibility study had already been identified  ...  view the full minutes text for item 44.

The report provides an overview of proposed updates to the Procurement Strategy and the proposal to introduce an Ethical Procurement Policy and Ethical Code of Conduct for Suppliers.

Contact: Ruth Calladine – Head of Procurement and Commissioning Support

A report was submitted which provided an overview of proposed updates to the Procurement Strategy and outlined the proposal to introduce an Ethical Procurement Policy and Ethical Code of Conduct for Suppliers.

Samantha Lawton, Service Director for Legal Governance and Commissioning and Ruth Calladine, Head of Procurement and Commissioning Support introduced the report, highlighting the issues below.

Councillor Nosheen-Dad, the Corporate Portfolio Holder, was also present for the item.

·       Further to the introduction of the new Procurement Act 2023, which came into effect on 25^th February 2025, and a recommendation from the external auditor, the opportunity had been taken to review and refresh the Council’s Procurement Strategy.

·       The refreshed strategy continued to be structured around five strategic key themes, which were:

-       Delivering social value

-       Promoting inclusive procurement

-       Developing a category-led approach

-       Innovation and improvement

-       Good governance

·       Significant progress had been made since 2022 in implementing the original strategy and improving processes and further work was ongoing.

·       It was proposed that an Ethical Procurement Policy and an Ethical Code of Conduct for Suppliers be introduced. This was a key aspiration under the ‘good governance’ theme.

·       The Ethical Procurement Policy set out the Council’s commitment to ensuring that all procurement and contractual activities were conducted in accordance with ethical standards. It set out the legal framework, including measures to prevent modern slavery and defined the procedures for maintaining high levels of professional conduct within the Council when undertaking procurement.

·       The Ethical Code of Conduct for Suppliers would apply to all suppliers/individuals and subcontractors acting on behalf of the Council, for all contracts valued over £25,000 (excluding VAT) where the procurement commenced on or after January 2026.

·       Both documents had been developed in line with those of other authorities in the UK and benchmarking had been undertaken against similar policies adopted by other local authorities including Oxford, North Somerset, Rotherham, Doncaster, and Sheffield.

Questions and comments were invited from Committee Members, with the following issues being covered:

·       In relation to the proportion of the Council’s expenditure directed to local providers/suppliers and how this was monitored year?on?year, the Procurement Team monitored the top 300 spend suppliers and, during the 2024/25 financial year, the local spend had been 59% with these suppliers. Work was ongoing with the Council’s Data and Insight Team to extend analysis to the whole of Council spend, with the aim of producing more comprehensive data during the next financial year. Procurement colleagues had also started working more closely with the Council’s Business Team to increase understanding and knowledge of local suppliers who could be encouraged and supported to bid for Council contracts and to provide those links.

·       The Council had started publishing its procurement pipeline. The Procurement Act required the publication of contracts valued above £2 million but Kirklees had chosen to publish details of lower?value procurements, up to 18 months in advance, with this information also being shared with the Business Team, to help local suppliers prepare to bid.

·       The work  ...  view the full minutes text for item 45.

The report provides an overview of the Council’s 2025 Statutory Organisational Safeguarding Assessment and the Corporate Safeguarding Plan, including an update on progress on actions.

Contact: Laura Chamberlain-Powell – Service Development Manager, Communities and Access Services

Jill Greenfield, Service Director for Communities and Access Services and Laura Chamberlain-Powell, Service Development Manager introduced a report which provided an overview of the 2025 Statutory Organisational Safeguarding Assessment. The presentation highlighted:

·       The adoption of a whole-Council approach to safeguarding, Kirklees being one of the few local authorities to do so.

·       Although the overall RAG rating for the OSA was Amber, for statutory services it was Green. Good practice from these areas had been shared across other service areas.

·       The robust approach around safeguarding demonstrated a strong commitment to ensuring safeguarding was everybody’s business.

·       The Corporate Safeguarding Policy, agreed in 2024 was updated annually.

·       The OSA informed the continued development of the Corporate Safeguarding Action Plan.

·       A summary of strengths, areas in development and next steps.

·       The responsibility for safeguarding arrangements would continue through the Corporate Safeguarding Oversight Group, led by Service Directors from all service areas.

·       The Organisational Safeguarding Assessment had been submitted to the Kirklees Safeguarding Children’s Partnership. This body would analyse and collate submissions into a comprehensive report to help shape further development activities and learning events. in preparation for the next submission which was due in 2027.

Questions and comments were invited from Committee Members, with the following issues being covered:

·       The presentation was welcomed and the positive approach and progress made was commended.

·       The rollout of safeguarding training beyond statutory services was noted and that staff across the Council who interact with the public would be better equipped to recognise and report concerns which was essential as it could help identify risks at an early stage.

·       It was important to acknowledge the context in respect of the overall Amber rating.

·       The breadth and depth of Council functions and services and the challenge of ensuring safeguarding was relevant and proportionate to each area. The ‘toolbox talks’ approach had been reported as a useful by colleagues in Place. Further work was required to develop training into suitable formats for different services and roles.

·       There had been strong commitment and keenness across services, time and resource constraints had been the main barrier.

·       Safeguarding practice was increasingly becoming embedded into business-as-usual processes.

·       The Safeguarding Champions Group was now well established with representatives from across different service areas. Positive feedback had been received about the work of the group, which had played a key role in shaping training materials to ensure accessibility and applicability.

RESOLVED –

1.    That the officers from Communities and Access be thanked for attending to update the Committee.

2.    That the Operational Safeguarding Assessment 2025 and the Corporate Safeguarding Action Plan be endorsed.

3.    That the work being undertaken to strengthen safeguarding across all services be welcomed.

4.    That it be noted that the Operational Safeguarding Assessment 2025 will be submitted for consideration by the Kirklees Safeguarding Children’s Partnership.

5.    That it be noted that the Corporate Safeguarding Action Plan will be reviewed by the Corporate Safeguarding Oversight Group, with the aim of continuously improving safeguarding practice across the Council.

The Lead Members for the Children’s, Growth & Regeneration, Environment & Climate Change and Health & Adult Social Care Scrutiny Panels will update the Committee on the work currently being undertaken by their Panels.

Contact: Sheila Dykes – Principal Governance Officer

The Lead Members for each of the Scrutiny Panels gave an update in relation to the work currently being undertaken by their Panel:

·       Environment and Climate Change

·       Health and Adult Social Care

·       Growth and Regeneration

The Chair also provided an update in respect of the Committee’s visit to ‘Project Search’ which had given Members an insight into the valuable work being undertaken.

The latest version of the Committee’s Work Programme for 2025-2026 will be submitted for consideration.

Contact: Sheila Dykes – Principal Governance Officer

The latest version of the Committee’s Work Programme for 2025-2026 was submitted for consideration.