Agenda and decisions

To receive any announcements from the Mayor and Chief Executive.

Group Business Managers to submit any apologies for absence.

Apologies for absence were received on behalf of Councillors Daji, Hall, Lowe, K Pinnock, Thompson and Vickers.

To approve the Minutes of the meeting of the Council Meeting held on 13^th Novemver 2024.

RESOLVED – That the Minutes of the Meeting held on 13 November 2024 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.

Councillors Armer, Firth, Kendrick, Longstaff, Pattison, Sewell and Sokhal declared an ‘other’ interest in Agenda Item 13 in their capacity as former recipients of Winter Fuel Allowance payments.

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

Councillor Hussain submitted a petition which requested action in regards to the provsion of burial space in Dewsbury and Batley.

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.

Sara Blagborough submitted a petition which sought to save Kirklees specialist dementia care homes from privatisation.

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 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 September, 8 October and 5 November 2024 and (ii) Cabinet Committee Local Issues held on 23 October 2024.

(a)  To receive a Portfolio Update from the Cabinet Member for Housing and Transport (Councillor Crook).

(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)  District Wide Planning Committee

(c)  Health and Wellbeing Board

(d)  Personnel Committee

(e)  Strategic 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 Hall and Taylor;

“This Council notes:

-       The Labour Government’s recent decision to restrict the Winter Fuel Payment to only pensioners in receipt of means-tested benefits like Pension Credit, as announced by Chancellor Rachel Reeves.

-       The estimated impact of this decision, which Age UK says will mean 2 million pensioners who badly need the money to stay warm this winter will not receive it.

-       The significant role that Winter Fuel Payments play in helping older residents of Kirklees Council and across the UK afford heating during the coldest months, thereby preventing 'heat or eat' dilemmas and safeguarding health.

-       The criticism from Age UK, the Countryside Alliance and other charities, highlighting the social injustice and potential health risks posed by this sudden policy change.

-       The additional strain this decision will place on vulnerable pensioners, many of whom do not claim Pension Credit despite being eligible, further exacerbating their financial hardship.

This Council believes:

-       That the Winter Fuel Payment has been a lifeline for many older people across the UK and that restricting its availability solely to those on Pension Credit risks leaving many pensioners in financial hardship.

-       While some pensioners currently in receipt of the Winter Fuel Payment may not require it, many thousands across Kirklees Council sit just above the cut-off for Pension Credit and will now lose their allowance.

-       The decision to means-test Winter Fuel Payments, especially with such short notice and without adequate compensatory measures, is deeply unfair and will disproportionately affect the health and well-being of our poorest older residents.

-       The government’s approach fails to consider the administrative barriers and stigma that prevent eligible pensioners from claiming Pension Credit, leaving many without the support they desperately need.

This Council resolves to:

-       Bring forward a Council-led local awareness campaign to alert those eligible of Pension Credit which in some respects will help access to the Winter Fuel Payment for those most in need.

-       Request that the Council Leader write to the Chancellor of the Exchequer, urging her to reverse the decision to means-test the Winter Fuel Payment and asking the government to ensure that vulnerable pensioners, particularly those who do not claim Pension Credit, are protected from fuel poverty.

-       Encourage local efforts to promote Pension Credit uptake through council services and partnerships with local charities and community organisations to ensure that all eligible pensioners in Kirklees Council are supported in claiming their entitlement.”

RESOLVED – Motion approved.

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

“This Council notes with deep concern the Labour Government’s decision to cut the Winter Fuel Allowance, resulting in over 10 million pensioners losing up to £300 a year. This loss is equivalent to more than a week’s pension income, and the cuts come just as Ofgem has announced an energy price cap increase of £149 this winter. This represents a devastating double blow for millions of vulnerable pensioners.

We believe that austerity policies such as this are not the answer, and pensioners should not be made to bear the burden of government mismanagement. The wealth exists in our society to provide support where it is most needed. For example, energy companies more than trebled their profits during the pandemic, and the 50 richest families in Britain own a combined £500 billion in wealth – equivalent to half of the UK population’s combined wealth. A wealth tax on the richest 1% would raise billions, yet the government has chosen to target pensioners instead of seeking fairer solutions.

Some argue that wealthy pensioners receive the Winter Fuel Payment unnecessarily, but we strongly support the universal nature of this payment. Like the state pension itself, a universal payment ensures that nobody falls through the cracks. Linking the Winter Fuel Payment to pension credit will leave millions of vulnerable pensioners without the extra support they need. Currently, over 850,000 pensioners who qualify for pension credit do not receive it, missing out on an average of £2,677 a year. These same pensioners will now face losing up to £300 more with these cuts. Additionally, Age UK estimates that a further one million pensioners who live just £50 above the poverty line will also lose out on the Winter Fuel Payment, pushing them closer to financial hardship.

It is important to stress that the proposed cuts to the Winter Fuel Payment are expected to save only £1.4 billion a year. However, if all pensioners entitled to pension credit were encouraged to apply as a result of these changes, the cost of paying this unclaimed credit would rise to £2.2 billion annually – meaning the government might save nothing at all from these cuts.

The Chancellor’s announcement of an extension to the Household Support Fund is a temporary and inadequate measure. It places an additional burden on pensioners, forcing them to rely on charitable grants from their local councils instead of receiving their automatic Winter Fuel Payment. Pensioners, who have worked hard all their lives, should not be forced to go cap-in-hand for basic support.

This Council calls on the Leader of the Council to write to the government and demand that they reverse the proposed cuts to the Winter Fuel Allowance. Our vulnerable pensioners deserve better, and they should not be made to suffer as a result of government decisions that fail to tax the wealthiest individuals and corporations adequately.

We  ...  view the full agenda text for item 14:

To consider the following Motion in the names of Councillors Munro and J 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:

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

1)    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 costs  ...  view the full agenda text for item 15: