Agenda and decisions

To receive any announcements from the Mayor and Chief Executive.

There were no announcements.

Group Business Managers to submit any apologies for absence.

Apologies for absence were received on behalf of Councillors Armer, Bamford, Dad, Kendrick, Khan, Lowe, McLoughlin, K Pinnock, Sarwar, A Smith, Stephen, K Taylor and A Zaman.

To agree and authorise the Mayor to sign the Minutes of Council held on 11 January 2023.

RESOLVED – That the Minutes of the Meeting of Council held on 11 January 2023 be approved as a correct record.

Councillors will be asked to say if there are any items on the Agenda in which they have a Disclosable Pecuniary Interest, which would prevent them from participating in any discussion or vote upon the item, or any other interests.

No interests were declared.

(It was noted that, in the event that Agenda Item 15 was to be considered, the matter of declarations in relation to that item would be taken at that stage of the meeting).

To receive any Petitions from Members of the Council in accordance

with Council Procedure Rule 9.

Council received the following petitions;

(i)    Petition objecting to proposed installation of 5G mast and cabinets at Savile Road, Savile Town (submitted by Councillor Ramsay)

(ii)   Petition to save land at Jackroyd Lane, Newsome from development (submitted by Councillor Lee-Richards)

(iii)Petition to save land at Blue Bell Hill, Newsome from development (submitted by Councillor Lee-Richards)

(iv)Petition to keep Tolson Museum open (submitted by Cllr P A Davies)

Council will receive any petitions and hear any 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 upon which the body has powers and responsibilities.

In accordance with Council Procedure Rule 10 (2), Members of the Public should provide at least 24 hours notice of presenting a deputation.

Council received deputations from (i) David Lawrie (ii) Yasar Ahmed (iii) Clem Bacon (iv) Itrat Ali and Susan Grayson (v) Jean Margetts (vi) Daniel Hood and (vii) Martin Shelton and Tanisha Bramwell.

A petition was also submitted by (v) Jean Margetts (Save Colne Valley Pool).

Council will receive any questions from the public in accordance with Council Procedure Rule 11.

Council received questions from (i) Trevor Smeaton (ii) Lee Riley and (iii) Ian Firth.

To consider the Council taxbase report, 2023/2024.

Contact: Sarah Brown / Mark Stanley, Welfare and Exchequer Services

RESOLVED –

1)    That approval be given to the 2023/2024 taxbase for the whole Kirklees area, and the Council taxbases for the five Parish and Town Council areas as follows;

Whole of Kirklees  £123,215.79

Denby Dale £6,093.41

Holme Valley £10,482.86

Kirkburton £9,229.12

Meltham £2,997.86

Mirfield £6,904.95

2)    That the calculation of the Council taxbase for 2024/2025 onwards be delegated to the Section 151 Officer, in consultation with the relevant Cabinet Member.

To consider the dates of Council for the 2023/2024 municipal year.

Contact: Samantha Lawton, Head of Governance

RESOLVED –

1)    That the proposed dates of Council for the 2023-2024, as set out within the report, be approved.

2)    That the attendance of the Elected Mayor of West Yorkshire be scheduled for the meeting of 15 November 2023.

To receive written questions to the Leader, Cabinet Members, Chairs of Committees and Nominated Spokespersons in accordance with Council Procedure Rule 12.

A schedule of written questions will be tabled at the meeting.

Council received Questions 1 to 4 (the remaining questions were not put, due to time constraints).

A key discussion will take place on the provision of Library Services in Kirklees.

A key discussion took place with regards to the provision of library services in Kirklees.

To consider the following Motion in the names of Councillors Cooper, Lee-Richards and Allison;

“This Council believes;

That, if Kirklees is to play its part in achieving the Paris Climate targets, meet its net zero target by 2030 and address the cost of living crisis, we need to reduce energy demand through energy efficiency measures such as retrofitting homes and other buildings; and to significantly raise the amount of energy we produce from renewable sources. 

Having more of our energy produced from renewable sources helps us control costs  by having secure forms of energy generated locally. Energy security means that the UK is less at the mercy of dubious and undemocratic regimes with poor human rights records that are often the suppliers of fossil fuels. 

This Council resolves to ask Kirklees Cabinet to:

i) Conduct an audit of the potential for renewable energy installations and energy efficiency measures on all Council land and property, draw up a priority list for installations based on the most potential to save energy and generate clean energy, and present it to the Cabinet within 6 months.

ii) Develop a financial case to install solar photovoltaics on all new build Council owned buildings where technically feasible, recognising that integrated roof systems are cheaper to install than retrofitting solar systems after construction

iii) Create a Local Area Energy Plan for Kirklees that has the buy-in of the wider community and lead a local area energy planning process that involves both the network operators and other key stakeholders, including developers, energy experts and community energy groups

iv) Investigate establishing strategic partnerships with renewable and energy efficiency installers to help ensure certainty on cost and delivery of measures and report back to Full Council within 6 months.

v) Maximise external funding to finance installations using Government, WYMCA and any ethical sources.

vi) Encourage wider community investment in local renewable energy projects through a range of measures including but not limited to Community Share Offers and Municipal Bonds

vii) Develop a proposal for a compelling offer for private householders and Landlords to support the installation of solar photovoltaics and high cost energy efficiency measures. 

viii) Encourage best practice in Planning to support renewable energy installations by developers and to create a low carbon energy supply;.

ix) Encourage renewable and energy efficiency skills by establishing links and relationships between our partners in the Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency sectors with  appropriate local training and education providers.

x) Ensure training opportunities and new skills are included in all projects and contracts related to energy efficiency and renewables should include commitments from contractors on providing training opportunities and new skills for local people. Funding from WYMCA to support training and skills should be utilised to support this proposal.

xi) The Council should require new energy generation projects of 5MW or above to have at least 5% local ownership.” 

Item not considered (due to time constraints).

To consider the following Motion in the names of Councillors J Taylor and D Hall;

“This Council notes that:

Concerns about speeding across Kirklees is one of the issues raised most frequently with elected members particularly in villages and other residential areas.

The responsibility for addressing speeding is split with enforcement the responsibility of West Yorkshire Police, whilst the operational priorities are set by the West Yorkshire Mayor.

The criteria for installing a speed camera are set out in the 2007 Department of Transport Circular and implementation of this sits with the West Yorkshire Casualty Reduction Partnership.

The responsibility for monitoring speeds and for road safety sits with Kirklees Council.

A review of speed limits across the district was initiated by the Council in 2019 but the final report has not yet been made public and there have been no indication if any recommendations contained in it have been, or will be, actioned.

This Council therefore resolves to:

a) Write to the West Yorkshire Mayor and ask her to update the Council on her plans for addressing speeding across Kirklees and to provide quarterly updates on progress.

b) Write to the Secretary of State for Transport to ask him to review the criteria for the installation of speed cameras under the 2007 Circular to reflect the highlighted concerns locally with regard to continued speeding.

c) Undertake a review of road safety and speeding reduction plans in Kirklees by 30 September 2023 and publish the results of this including proposed outcomes and how these will be measured.”

Item not considered (due to time constraints).

To consider the following Motion in the names of Councillors Cooper, Lee-Richards and Allison;

“This Council notes:

Local government has endured central government funding cuts of more than 50% since 2010. Between 2010 and 2020, councils lost 60p out of every £1 they have received from central government. Councils across England are now facing a collective funding gap of £2.4bn for the financial year 2023/24 and a cumulative funding gap of £4.08bn for 2024/25 according to UNISON research.

Councils led the way in efforts against the Covid-19 pandemic, providing a huge range of services and support for our communities. Local government has shown more than ever how indispensable it is. But Covid has led to a massive increase in expenditure and loss of income, and as we emerge from the pandemic, local authorities and schools need far more support from Westminster. Recent funding announcements from the Government relating to schools did nothing to help.

Council and school workers kept our communities safe through the pandemic, often putting themselves at considerable risk as they work to protect public health, provide quality housing, ensure our children continue to be educated, and look after older and vulnerable people.

Since 2010, the local government workforce has endured years of pay restraint with the majority of pay points losing at least 25 per cent of their value since 2009/10. Staff are now facing the worst cost of living crisis in a generation, with inflation hitting 10% and many having to make impossible choices between food, heating and other essentials. This is a terrible situation for anyone to find themselves in.

At the same time, workers have experienced ever-increasing workloads and persistent job insecurity. Across the UK, 900,000 jobs have been lost in local government since June 2010 – a reduction of more than 30 per cent. Local government has arguably been hit by more severe job losses than any other part of the public sector.

There has been a disproportionate impact on women, with women making up more than three-quarters of the local government workforce.

Recent research shows that if the Government were to fully fund the unions’ 2023 pay claim, around half of the money would be recouped thanks to increased tax revenue, reduced expenditure on benefits and tax credits, and increased consumer spending in the local economy.

This Council believes:

Our workers are public service super-heroes. They keep our communities clean and safe, look after those in need and keep our towns and cities running.

Without the professionalism and dedication of our staff, the council services our residents rely on would not be deliverable.

Local government workers deserve a proper real-terms pay increase. The Government needs to take responsibility and fully fund this increase; it should not put the burden on local authorities whose funding has been cut to the bone and who were not offered adequate support through the Covid-19 pandemic.

This Council resolves to:

Support the pay claim submitted by UNISON, GMB and Unite on behalf of council and school workers,  ...  view the full agenda text for item 14:

Item not considered (due to time constraints).

To receive the Minutes of the Meetings of West Yorkshire Combined Authority held on 21 October and 8 December 2022.

The Minutes were received and noted.