Agenda, decisions and minutes

To receive any announcements from the Mayor and Chief Executive.

The Mayor paid tribute to Liz Cusick (nee Twitchett), who had sadly passed away on 2 September 2025 following a brief illness. The Mayor acknowledged the significant impact that Liz had made during her career as a Highways Engineer and Manager at Kirklees and that she was well regarded as an outstanding professional among colleagues, and the wider highways industry.

The Mayor advised Council that Kirklees parks and greenspaces had been recognised amongst the country’s best parks, retaining their Green Flag Awards.?She highlighted that Green Flag Award has been awarded to Beaumont Park, Greenhead Park, Castle Hill, Crow Nest Park and Wilton Park and that Oakwell Hall and Country Park has also achieved Green Flag status for its twenty first year in a row.?Furthermore, the Mayor advised Council that the Canal and River Trust had received a green flag for Huddersfield Narrow Canal and that Upper Hopton Community Association had been awarded a Community Green Flag for Upper Hopton Recreation Ground, and East Bierley received a community Green Flag for the whole village.

Group Business Managers to submit any apologies for absence.

Apologies for absence were received on behalf of Councillors Butt, K Pinnock and A Zaman.

To approve the Minutes of the Meeting of the Council Meeting held on 16^th July 2025.

RESOLVED – That the Minutes of the Meeting held on 16 July 2025 be approved as a correct record.

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

No interests were declared.

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

No petitions were received.

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.

No deputations were received.

Council received a petition from Daz Eastwood which requested that the Council develops the vacant Gas Works site to enable the development of a new stadium for Huddersfield Giants.

The Mayor directed that, in accordance with Council Procedure Rule 9(3), the subject matter of the petition be referred to the appropriate Service Director for investigation.

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 questions were asked.

To receive the Minutes of the Meeting of West Yorkshire Combined Authority held on 19 June 2025.

The Minutes of the Meeting of West Yorkshire Combined Authority held on 19 June 2025 were received and noted.

To receive a summary of the work undertaken by the Corporate Governance and Audit Committee during 2024/2025.

Contact: Nicola Sylvester, Governance

RESOLVED – That the Corporate Governance and Audit Committee 2024/2025 be received and that the assurances set out within the report that the Committee complies with CIPFAs position statement; Audit Committees in Local Authorities and Police be noted.

It was moved by Councillor Taylor, seconded by Councillor Homewood, and

RESOLVED – That the Corporate Governance and Audit Committee 2024/2025 be received and that the assurances set out within the report that the Committee complies with CIPFAs position statement; Audit Committees in Local Authorities and Police be noted.

To consider the financial planning framework for the 2026/2027 budget and beyond.

Contact: Kevin Mulvaney, Finance

RESOLVED – That the report be noted.

It was moved by Councillor Turner, seconded by Councillor Pattison and

RESOLVED – That the report be noted.

To consider the commencement of the Joint West Yorkshire Mass Transit Spatial Development Framework Development Plan Document.

Contact: Mathias Franklin, Planning Services

RESOLVED –

1)    That approval be given to the making of an agreement with Leeds City Council, Bradford City Council, Wakefield Council and Calderdale Council to commence the preparation of a Joint West Yorkshire Mass Transit Spatial Development Framework Part 1 Development Plan Document.

2)    That authority be delegated to undertake initial Regulation 18 consultation and Regulation 19 consultation on the draft West Yorkshire Mass Transit Spatial Development Framework Development Plan Document to the West Yorkshire Combined Authority Joint Member Committee, in so far as it is a council planning function relating to the Development Plan Document.

3)    That authority be delegated to the Joint Member Committee to authorise initial early engagement and public consultation (Regulation 18) on the draft Joint West Yorkshire Mass Transit Spatial Development Framework Development Plan Document and to prepare the submission draft and consultation for Regulation 19.

It was moved by Councillor Crook, seconded by Councillor Turner and

RESOLVED –

1)    That approval be given to the making of an agreement with Leeds City Council, Bradford City Council, Wakefield Council and Calderdale Council to commence the preparation of a Joint West Yorkshire Mass Transit Spatial Development Framework Part 1 Development Plan Document.

2)    That authority be delegated to undertake initial Regulation 18 consultation and Regulation 19 consultation on the draft West Yorkshire Mass Transit Spatial Development Framework Development Plan Document to the West Yorkshire Combined Authority Joint Member Committee, in so far as it is a council planning function relating to the Development Plan Document.

3)    That authority be delegated to the Joint Member Committee to authorise initial early engagement and public consultation (Regulation 18) on the draft Joint West Yorkshire Mass Transit Spatial Development Framework Development Plan Document and to prepare the submission draft and consultation for Regulation 19.

A Key Discussion will take place on Road Safety.

Under the provision of Council Procedure Rule 5(5), the Key Discussion debate shall commence no later than 7pm.

Council received a presentation from the Cabinet Member for Highways and Waste (Councillor Hawkins) and the Cabinet Member for Communities and Environment (Councillor A U Pinnock), prior to holding a key discussion on Road Safety in Kirklees.

To receive the Overview and Scrutiny Annual Report 2024/2025.

Contact: Helen Kilroy, Governance

Item not considered (Meeting terminated in accordance with Council Procedure Rule 16:2).

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

One supplementary oral question will be permitted.

Item not considered (Meeting terminated in accordance with Council Procedure Rule 16:2).

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

“This Council notes with serious concern:

(i)     That the Government is planning to review and potentially reform Personal Independence Payment (PIP) and long-term sickness benefits through an upcoming Green Paper.

(ii)    That PIP is a non-means-tested benefit, designed to support people with the additional and unavoidable costs arising from disability or chronic ill health. It is not linked to employment status and provides vital support for transport, care, mobility, equipment, and daily living.

(iii)   That Government briefings and national media reports suggest potential measures including freezing PIP payments from 2026 and tightening eligibility criteria, including more frequent reassessments.

(iv)  That such proposals would represent a significant regression in social policy and risk inflicting harm on millions of disabled and long-term sick individuals, including many vulnerable residents within Kirklees.

This Council further notes:

(i)     That the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) recently confirmed, in response to a Freedom of Information request by the Benefits and Work campaign group, that 1.3 million people could lose their PIP entitlement under the Government’s proposed changes.

(ii)    That recent research by Health Equity North—conducted by academics from the universities of Manchester, Newcastle, and Sheffield, along with the Northern Health Science Alliance—has modelled the financial impact of these cuts at a constituency level.

(iii)   That the research shows areas in the North East and North West would be among the hardest hit, with 92 of the 100 worst-affected constituencies facing the steepest losses.

(iv)  That the same study estimates that the Huddersfield constituency alone stands to lose £17 million per year, which will have devastating human consequences for local residents, as well as a seriously negative impact on the local economy and public services, including the NHS.

(v)    That one of the report’s authors, Professor Clare Bambra, warned:

“Those areas that will lose most from this proposal were already decimated by austerity, COVID and the cost of living crisis. They have worse health than other regions and their local services and economies are already struggling. Losses of this magnitude risk worsening the situation for everyone living in these deprived constituencies. Parliament cannot risk rushing proposals like these through without fully considering how they affect local areas that are already struggling.”

(vi)  That the Resolution Foundation has also warned that freezing PIP payments would result in a real-terms income loss for approximately four million people, with 70% living in low-to-middle income households.

(vii)That these changes would place significant new pressures on already-stretched local authorities, including Kirklees, in areas such as social care, housing, crisis support, public health, and mental health services.

This Council believes:

(i)     That any reduction, restriction, or revaluation of PIP or long-term sickness benefits is wrong in principle, unjustified in evidence, and unacceptable in a just society.

(ii)    That this Council has a responsibility to stand up for disabled and chronically ill residents and to oppose policies that risk increasing  ...  view the full agenda text for item 55.

Item not considered (Meeting terminated in accordance with Council Procedure Rule 16:2).

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

“This Council notes that;

(i) The UK Government and the United Nations have both recognised that human rights due diligence is a core part of responsible business and public sector conduct.

(ii) The UN Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights (UNGPs) and the UN Principles for Responsible Investment (UN PRI) provide a framework for ethical sourcing and investment.

(iii) Sections 26 and 27, Schedule 7 of the Procurement Act 2023 set out discretionary exclusion grounds that allow contracting authorities to exclude suppliers involved in serious misconduct, including human rights abuses.

(iv) Oxford, North Somerset, and other local authorities have agreed to consider strengthening their procurement and investment policies to ensure public money is not used to support companies implicated in serious human rights violations.

This Council believes that;

(i) Kirklees Council has a responsibility to ensure its financial decisions align with its stated values on equality, justice, and human rights.

(ii) Taxpayers’ money should not be used to support companies that are complicit in or benefit from breaches of international law — including the occupation of Palestinian territories, apartheid, or other recognised violations.

(iii) Ethical procurement and investment is not only a moral imperative, but also a legal and reputational risk management tool.

This Council therefore resolves to;

1)    Request that, in relation to Procurement, Cabinet review and strengthen the Council’s Procurement Strategy to ensure it:
(i) aligns, where lawful and practical, with the UN Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights
(ii) includes reference to the discretionary exclusion grounds under Sections 26 and 27, Schedule 7 of the Procurement Act 2023, allowing the Council to exclude suppliers involved in serious human rights or humanitarian law violations
(iii) complies fully with UK procurement legislation

2)    Request that Cabinet bring forward an updated Ethical Procurement Policy, with clear criteria and governance arrangements for implementation and monitoring, and that, if an updated Procurement Strategy is adopted in line with the above, request that all relevant existing and upcoming Council contracts be reviewed for compliance with the updated policy, and that a report be brought to Cabinet within six months outlining the review’s findings and any recommended actions.

3)    Request that:
(i) Cabinet consider developing an Ethical Investment Strategy as part of the Council’s Treasury Management Framework, incorporating the UN Principles for Responsible Investment, where lawful and appropriate (ii) the Leader of the Council write to the West Yorkshire Pension Fund and to the Council’s appointed representatives, urging them to explore the adoption of an Ethical Investment Policy aligned with international standards on responsible investment and human rights

4)    Request that Cabinet, affirm the Council’s commitment to transparency, accountability, and ethical  stewardship of public resources in both procurement and investment decision-making.

Item not considered (Meeting terminated in accordance with Council Procedure Rule 16:2).

To consider the following Motion in the names of Councillors Munro and Davies;

“This Council notes that:

1)    Violence against women and girls (VAWG) includes female homicide, rape, sexual assault, domestic abuse, stalking, harassment and controlling and coercive behaviour. Some of these are complex crimes which have a devasting and often life-changing impact on victims, their families and friends;

2)    Between 2018/19 to 2022/23, police records of VAWG in England and Wales rose by 37%. In West Yorkshire, domestic abuse related crimes make up 21% of all recorded crimes in region. However, this is the tip of the iceberg, as often abuse is never reported;

3)    It has been reported recently that approximately 2 million women a year in England and Wales are victims of male violence. It’s also estimated that at least 1 in 12 women are victims of violence perpetrated by men, which includes harassment, sexual assault and domestic violence;

4)    According to the Home Office, the national average cost to the UK of violence against women and girls is estimated to be in the region of £37 billion annually (including cost of health, legal and social services). In Kirklees, the Kirklees Joint Strategic Assessment (KJSA) has indicated that the estimated cost of domestic violence/abuse to agencies locally is in the region of £43 million each year;

5)    While victims of domestic abuse are not confined to a particular gender, the evidence shows that the majority of victims are women. Between November 2022 and November 2023, there were 59,681 total reported cases of domestic abuse across West Yorkshire, with 43,691 (73%) of the victims being female.

This Council believes that:

1)    Violence against women and girls is a significant issue on a local, regional and national level. It is a national emergency, and the scale of violence is akin to a public health crisis;

2)    There is a lot of good work being done at a local and regional level to tackle the issue of violence against women and girls and this Council commends the work already being done. For instance, Kirklees Council is a supporter of the White Ribbon campaign, which encourages men to challenge misogynistic behaviour. The Council also has a strategic focus on tackling VAWG through its Kirklees Communities Partnership Plan and focus on multi-agency collaboration and public safety initiatives. At a regional level, the West Yorkshire Combined Authority is also taking a strategic approach through its Safety of Women and Girls Strategy, which includes a commitment to embed healthy relationships education in schools and communities, behavioural change through intervention programmes, improving safety in public spaces and strengthening services for victims and survivors;

3)    While Kirklees Council is actively working to tackle VAWG, there is room to do more, especially in terms of leadership, visibility and long-term investment. The Council should publicly appoint an elected member VAWG Champion – to provide visible leadership, ensure accountability and champion the voices of survivors in policy-making. The Council should also improve public engagement, as there is  ...  view the full agenda text for item 57.

Item not considered (Meeting terminated in accordance with Council Procedure Rule 16:2).

To consider the following Motion in the names of Councillors JC Lawson, Davies, JD Lawson, Cooper, Scott and H Zaman;

“This Council notes:

1)             The statement by the Minister of State for Local Government and

English Devolution, Jim McMahon MP, on the 24th June 2025 which outlined the Government’s plan to introduce legislation which will ‘simplify governance arrangements’ for local authorities in England and abolish the committee system, requiring all councils to adopt the leader and cabinet system;

2)             Councils in the UK typically operate under one of three governance

structures: leader and cabinet, committee or mayoral systems;

3)             Most councils currently operate under a leader and cabinet model. The committee system was the way that councils were governed up until 2000. The Local Government Act 2000 changed the models of governance, introducing the leader and executive (cabinet) and elected mayor and executive models. The Local Government Act 2000 also resulted in the abolition of the committee system in England everywhere (except shire authorities with a population under 85,000). However, as part of the Localism Act 2011, the committee system was re-introduced as an option for all local authorities to adopt;

4)             Typically, under the leader and cabinet model, the full council elects a  leader, who then appoints a cabinet (executive), with cabinet members responsible for specific areas of service and the cabinet being the primary decision-making body. Under the committee system model, power is exercised, alongside full council, by a number of politically balanced committees, each with a specific area of responsibility. Under the executive mayor and cabinet model, a directly-elected mayor leads the executive and is accountable to the electorate;

5)             Currently, councils in England can change their governance arrangements and local residents can have a say on the governance model adopted by their local authority via a referendum;

6)             As part of the Government’s plans, councils currently using the committee model, including councils which have recently transitioned to the committee model following a referendum, will be required to transition to the leader and cabinet model;

7)             The Government has argued that the changes are needed in order to improve clarity and accountability in decision-making, enhance efficiency by streamlining governance structures and preventing unnecessary expenditure on governance transitions.

This Council believes that:

1)             Councils across the country use various governance systems, with

some favouring the committee system and others preferring executive systems. Councils should have the choice to choose which model of governance best suits the needs of its residents. The details of councils’ internal arrangement should be a matter for local discretion. Although Kirklees Council currently operates a leader and cabinet model, it should be given the opportunity to transition to the committee system if Kirklees residents support this. Local people should be given the power to make the best choice for themselves;

2)             The Government’s plans are at odds with the devolved powers that the Labour party advocates. It should not be a one-size fits all approach. Fundamentally, the Government’s plans to change the way that  ...  view the full agenda text for item 58.

Item not considered (Meeting terminated in accordance with Council Procedure Rule 16:2).

“To consider the following Motion in the names of Councillors Burke and JC Lawson;

“This Council notes:

1)    Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND) refers to young people who require extra help and support with their learning difficulty and/or a disability that means they need special health and education support;

2)    Private providers play a key role in the Special Educational Needs and Disabilities sector, including early years, alternative provision and specialised independent schools and are often commissioned by councils to provide support and education for children with SEND. In Kirklees, there are 10,098 pupils aged 4 to 16 years with SEND. Of these 9,407 pupils are educated in mainstream schools and settings and 691 in special schools (2022). SEND provision is a key issue for many parents in Kirklees.
Across England, approximately 1.7 million pupils have been identified as having special educational needs, representing around 19.6% of pupils;

3)    There has been a huge surge in the need for SEND provision and, as a result, demand for school places supporting SEND students across the UK. Many state schools are not adequately equipped to meet the increased demand or to support pupils with more complex and challenging needs. This has led to expert providers across the private and charitable school sectors stepping in;

4)    According to House of Commons Library research, commissioned by the Liberal Democrat national party, the top private equity companies providing SEND schooling have seen their annual profits increase as the SEND crisis has worsened, with some making margins of over 20%. Some of the private providers of special needs education are backed by private equity companies based in tax havens or foreign sovereign wealth funds;

5)    The SEND crisis has led to many councils facing exorbitant costs for private provision. This is at a time when local authority budgets are being pushed to the brink, with many facing effective bankruptcy or end service provision for vulnerable groups;

6)    The Liberal Democrat national party has demanded that private providers of special education are subject to an operating profit cap of 8% in order to curb exorbitant profits. The party has called for the Government to cap the profits of these companies to ensure that money is channelled back into the SEND system and not into the pockets of shareholders.

This Council, therefore, resolves to:

Instruct the Leader of the Council to write to the Education Secretary, Bridget Phillipson MP, to express concern that the profiteering from private equity firms is a major driver of the crisis in our SEND system and to cap the profits of these firms at 8%, ensuring that the priority is provision and not profits and helping to cut the excessive profiteering off the backs of disabled children. While the Government’s commitment to reform the SEND system is welcome, profit-limiting controls are needed as a matter of urgency.”

Item not considered (Meeting terminated in accordance with Council Procedure Rule 16:2).

To consider the following Motion submitted in the names of Councillors JC Lawson and Marchington;

“This Council notes:

1)    The Government has published a Green Paper, which includes proposals to change disability and long-term sickness benefits. This includes Personal Independence Payment (PIP);

2)    PIP is claimed by nearly 3.7 million people in England and Wales, which includes residents in Kirklees. PIP is a benefit not linked to being in work or out of work but instead designed to help people with the additional unavoidable costs of having a disability. It is used by people who need daily help because of a long-term illness or disability or mental health condition. Many disabled people rely on PIP to cover the cost of getting to and from work, paying for essential equipment and for meeting their social care charges;

3)    PIP is a non-means tested benefit, meaning that claims are not affected by an individual’s income, capital or savings. It consists of 2 parts: a daily living component and a mobility component. Depending on their assessment, individuals may receive one or both components;

4)    The Government’s Green Paper proposes that PIP will be focused more on those with higher needs and reports suggest that eligibility criteria will be tightened. This may mean that individuals judged to have lower needs will no longer be eligible for the daily living component of PIP. In effect, it may mean that some individuals could lose entitlement to the daily living element of PIP and potentially other entitlements linked to this award. If an individual loses the daily living component, it will directly affect their caregiver, as the carer may become ineligible for Carer’s Allowance or the carer element within Universal Credit. Furthermore, the Government’s Spring Statement indicated that they wish to freeze the health element of Universal Credit for existing claimants until 2030 – meaning it will no longer increase with inflation, resulting in a real terms loss of income for over two million households;

5)    Responding to the Chancellor’s Spring Statement and the publication of the Government’s impact assessment for their planned cuts to disability benefits, the Joseph Rowntree Foundation state that the cuts to health-related benefits risk pushing 250,000 people into poverty, including 50,000 children;

6)    People who struggle to even wash their hair may have their payments reduced by an average of £1,720 per year. It is estimated that 370,000 people with disabilities will no longer qualify for PIP under the Government’s new assessment rules.

This Council believes that:

1)    Some of these changes will have a negative impact on the lives of Kirklees residents;

2)    These changes amount to nothing less than an attack on those living with disabilities and health conditions – who need PIP payments and health-related Universal Credit, to live independent, dignified lives;

3)    Freezing, reducing and removing these payments will have a catastrophic impact on million of households who, due to disability and ill-health, face some of the highest rates of material deprivation in the UK.

This Council, therefore,  ...  view the full agenda text for item 60.

Item not considered (Meeting terminated in accordance with Council Procedure Rule 16:2).