Agenda and decisions

To receive any announcements from the Mayor and Chief Executive.

Group Business Managers to submit any apologies for absence.

To approve the Minutes of the Meeting of the Council Meeting held on 15^th January 2025.

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.

To receive any Petitions from Members of the Council in accordance with Council Procedure Rule 9.

Council 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.

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.

To receive the Minutes of West Yorkshire Combined Authority held on 12 December 2024.

To receive the report.

Contact: James Anderson, Head of Accountancy

RESOLVED – That the treasury management performance during the first half of 2024/2025 be noted.

To consider the report.

Contact: Leigh Webb, Head of Governance

RESOLVED – That the recommendations of the Members’ Allowances Independent Review Panel be approved;

(i)             to continue to apply the same percentage pay award awarded to Officers to the Basic Allowance and Special Responsibility Allowances

(ii)            the Special Responsibility Allowance paid to Chair of Corporate Governance and Audit Committee be increased from Band E (currently £3,115 per annum) to Band C1 (currently £7,790 per annum)

(iii)          the Special Responsibility Allowance paid to Fostering Panel Members be increased from Band E1 (currently £1,556 per annum) to Band D1 (currently £4,675 per annum)

(iv)          the Special Responsibility Allowance paid to Adoption Panel Members be increased from Band E1 (currently £1,556 per annum) to Band E (currently £3,115 per annum).

To receive written questions to the Leader, Cabinet Members, Chairs of Committees and Nominated Spokespersons in accordance with Council Procedure Rule 12. A written schedule of written questions will be tabled at the meeting. One supplementary oral question will be permitted.

To receive the Minutes of the Meetings of (i) Cabinet held on 10 December and 21 January 2024 and (ii) Cabinet Committee – Local Issues held on 19 November 2024.

(a)  To receive a Portfolio Update from the Cabinet Member for Education and Communities (Councillor A U Pinnock)

(b)  To receive oral questions/comments to Cabinet Members on their   portfolios and relevant Cabinet Minutes;

-       The Leader of the Council (Councillor Pattison)

-       The Deputy Leader of the Council / Housing and Transport   

        (Councillor Crook)

-       Children’s Services (Councillor Kendrick)

-       Corporate Services (Councillor Hawkins)

-       Education and Communities (Councillor A U Pinnock)

-       Environment and Highways (Councillor Munir Ahmed)

-       Finance and Regeneration (Councillor Turner)

-       Health and Social Care (Councillor Addy)

(a)  Corporate Governance and Audit Committee

(b)  Health and Wellbeing Board

(c)  Overview and Scrutiny Management Committee

(d)  Strategic Planning Committee

(e)  District Wide Planning Committee

To receive oral questions in accordance with Council Procedure Rule 13(4):

-       Appeals Panel (Councillor Longstaff)

-       Corporate Governance and Audit Committee (Councillor Taylor)

-       District Wide Planning Committee (Councillor Ullah)

-       Health and Wellbeing Board (Councillor Addy)

-       Licensing and Safety Committee - including Licensing and Regulatory Panel (Councillor Firth)

-       Overview and Scrutiny Management Committee (Councillor Burke)

-       Personnel Committee (Councillor Pattison)

-       Scrutiny Panel – Children’s (Councillor Ali)

-       Scrutiny Panel – Environment and Climate Change (Councillor Cooper)

-       Scrutiny Panel – Growth and Regeneration (Councillor Amin)

-       Scrutiny Panel – Health and Adult Social Care (Councillor J D Lawson)

-       Standards Committee (Councillor Armer)

-       Strategic Planning Committee (Councillor Homewood)

-       Kirklees Active Leisure (Councillor Sokhal)

-       One Adoption Joint Committee (Councillor Sewell)

-       West Yorkshire Combined Authority (Councillor Pattison)

-       West Yorkshire Combined Authority Transport Committee (Councillor McLoughlin)

-       West Yorkshire Fire and Rescue Authority (Councillor O’Donovan)

-       West Yorkshire Joint Services Committee (Councillor Munir Ahmed)

-       West Yorkshire Police and Crime Panel (Councillor Lowe)

To consider the following Motion in the names of Councillors Safdar, Bramwell, Anwar and Daji;

“In the light of the recent budget will increase the current bus fare price cap,

this Council notes the Labour Government increased the cap by 50%, from £2 to £3.

In practice current fares will be maintained until 31 March 2025. From 1 April 2025 until 31 December 2025 West Yorkshire fares will be £2.50 single and £6 Day Saver.

As a result, Kirklees residents will experience a significant increase in travel costs. Although an MCard weekly, monthly or annual ticket may still be cheaper than two single tickets a day for 5 days, not all bus users can afford to pre-purchase Mcards.

This Council believes that:

The increase in the bus fares will hasten the decline in passenger numbers. This could have a damaging impact on the district's bus services. As patronage declines operators will seek to reduce frequency or cut uneconomic routes, which so many residents across the Kirklees area rely on.

Such a move will also have a negative impact on young people travelling to access education, and those reliant on buses to reach their place of employment. It will also have a negative impact on elderly people who do not drive but need to access services, healthcare and visit family.

At a time when many residents across the Kirklees borough are struggling with soaring costs and expenses, an increase in fares will punish some of the most vulnerable in our community.

Increasing fares will discourage sustainable travel and remove an incentive to use public transport to access our town centres, leading to an increase in the number of cars on the road. Buses need to avoid being held up by congestion - created by increased car use. Where bus priority lanes exist, parking is not adequately enforced.

The resulting impact on emissions and clean air will exacerbates health outcomes.

This Council resolves:

-       To request that the Leader of the Council writes to the Transport Secretary to outline the Council's dismay at this decision and ask the Government to reconsider this.

-       To request that that the Leader of Kirklees Council writes to Mayor Tracy Brabin to highlight the negative impact of this policy and urge the Combined Authority to continue to support subsidised fares in West Yorkshire beyond 31 December 2025.

-       That the Cabinet Portfolio Holder engages with local bus companies to consider ways to maintain the essential bus routes that provide a lifeline for many communities.

-       That the Cabinet Portfolio Holders for Transport and Highways engage with WYCA on planned road reallocation schemes that are pipelined and are taking far too long to be enacted; to prioritise those road schemes that would reallocate road space and enable the introduction of more bus priority; making use of temporary schemes, if necessary. “

RESOLVED – Motion not approved.

To consider the following Motion submitted in the names of Councillors Hussain, Masood Ahmed, Scott, Moore, H Zaman and A Zaman;

"The needs of Dewsbury and Batley residents must continue to be a priority when identifying suitable burial sites. Capital funding has already been secured for Dewsbury, and land searches have primarily focused on Dewsbury and the surrounding communities.

There are credible and reputable organisations that deal with burials on a daily basis. While the Bereavement Service has engaged with these organisations through the Bereavement Forum, concerns remain about the extent to which these issues are being addressed. Greater collaboration between the Council and relevant organisations, including wider community groups, should be encouraged.

The Bereavement Forum meetings are attended by representatives from the bereavement industry, including local clergy, funeral directors, and celebrants. While these meetings are not public, the Council should explore ways to improve transparency and ensure wider community input on burial site provision.

It is essential that the approach to identifying burial land remains open, transparent, and inclusive. We seek reassurances that Dewsbury, Batley, and the surrounding areas are not being disadvantaged in the allocation of resources for burial space.

This Council therefore resolves:

1. That the Leader and Cabinet reaffirm their commitment to identifying suitable multi-faith burial land in Dewsbury and Batley and continue to engage with relevant stakeholders to explore all possible options.
2. That all funds allocated from the £500k (subject to any existing expenditure) remain in place for Dewsbury and Batley and are not utilised for any other areas in South Kirklees."

RESOLVED – Motion approved.

To consider the following Motion in the names of Councillors Munro and J C Lawson;

“This Council notes:

1)    As part of the Autumn Budget 2024, the Chancellor Rachel Reeves announced a National Insurance increase and reduced the threshold at which employers start paying it. From April 2025, the rate of employers’ National Insurance contributions businesses will pay will increase by 1.2 percentage points to 15% and the earnings threshold at which companies pay will be lowered from £9,100 to £5,000. For an employee earning £30,000, the amount a business pays on National Insurance will increase by £865.80 under the new rules, increasing the total cost from £32,884.20 to £33,750. In addition, from April 2025, the National Living Wage (NLW) will increase from £11.44 to £12.21 per hour for all eligible employees;

2)    The new Labour government has claimed that the change to National Insurance contributions will generate an extra £25 billion in tax revenue, which will aim to make up for the £22 billion ‘black hole’ left by the previous government;

3)    Local authorities, including Kirklees Council, are responsible for assessing people’s needs and, if individuals are eligible, for funding their care. However, most social care services are delivered by independent sector home care and residential care providers, which are mainly for-profit companies, although also include some voluntary sector organisations.

This Council believes that:

1)      While the Autumn Budget earmarked £680 million of new grant funding to support social care (for both adults and children’s services) in 2025/26, the additional pressures on social care providers, including increasing the National Insurance contributions by 1.2%, a reduction in the threshold for employer National Insurance contributions and a 6.7% increase in the National Living Wage, will limit the impact of this funding and likely eradicate the extra £680 million allocated. It’s subjecting health services to higher taxes and is counterproductive, making it harder to provide care to older, vulnerable and disabled people;

2)    The Nuffield Trust estimate that the Employer National Insurance Contributions (ENICs) changes will cost independent sector social care employers in the region of an additional £940 million in 2025/26, on top of around £1.85 billion more that will be needed to meet new minimum wage rates. The Nuffield Trust say that the 18,000 independent organisations providing adult social care in England, which constitutes 98% of care providers, will be faced with increased costs of an estimated £2.8 billion in the next financial year. Public sector organisations, including the NHS, will be reimbursed the extra payments, but most care providers are run privately, so will be liable;

3)    Many social care providers, especially small providers, are now at risk of going bust as a direct result of the National Insurance hike and this could disrupt or end vital care for thousands of older and disabled people across the country, including residents in Kirklees;

4)    If local authorities, including Kirklees Council, are unable to pay social care providers higher fees, the vast majority of small providers who cannot absorb the extra  ...  view the full agenda text for item 18:

Motion Withdrawn.

To consider the following Motion in the names of Councillors Pattison, Crook and Sokhal;

“This Council notes:

-          That within the last 2 years, following extensive and thorough cross-party work by the Democracy Commission and supported by the LGA, a finding and recommendation was made that a move to a committee system was not in the interests of this Council nor of the residents of Kirklees

-          That the above recommendation along with further recommendations to strengthen our scrutiny function was subsequently endorsed by Corporate Governance and Audit Committee and then by a democratic majority of members in full Council in January 2023

-          That a report on progress made against these recommendations was brought to the Corporate Governance and Audit Committee in April 2024 and that no further change was recommended

-          That the recent statement made by representatives of three of the smaller parties on this Council stating an intention to petition the public for a referendum, overruling the decision of both Corporate Governance and Audit Committee and this Council, to decide on our future political governance structure, is counter to the established will of this Council.

This Council believes:

-          That the time and resources required in the administration of a petition and referendum, which would cost the taxpayers of Kirklees in excess of £300,000, and the costs of any subsequent reorganisation which would be far higher, would be an unnecessary drain on our already pressured financial position.

-          Any reorganisation would not be complete for several years which would lead to a protracted period of confusion and distraction, preventing the council from supporting the residents of this borough effectively.

-          That a committee system of governance is less transparent that a Cabinet model and requires a significantly higher commitment of time from both members and officers.

-          That a committee system does not ensure that smaller parties or independent councillors have any more say in decision making than they do currently through our robust scrutiny function.

Therefore, this Council reaffirms its decision to remain a Council run by a Leader and Cabinet system.”

RESOLVED – Motion Approved.