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 Cllr Carole Pattison, Steve Brennan, Rachel Spencer-Henshall, Liz Town Andrews, Cllr Ashleigh Robinson, Izzy Worswick  Stacey Appleyard and Tom Brailsford.

To approve the Minutes of the meeting of the Board held on the 25^th September 2025

RESOLVED:

That the minutes of the meeting held on the 25^th September 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 Board.

All agenda items were considered in public session.

The Board 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.

Regular update - This is an opportunity for partners to update the board on progress made and actions taken by their organisations to improve the health and well-being of the people who work for them and the Kirklees population as a whole.

Contact:  Cllr Beverley Addy, Portfolio Holder for Public Health

Brent Kilmurray, Chief Executive of Mid Yorkshire Teaching NHS Trust, informed the Board that the Trust is planning engagement work focused on the configuration of services across its three sites. The Trust will also be marking the 150th anniversary of Dewsbury Hospital at Staincliffe, with a series of events to highlight services provided at the hospital, celebrate the hospitals history, and involve the local community. Several key initiatives will form part of these celebrations, and Board members will be invited to participate.  Mr Kilmurray further highlighted that the Trust is beginning to look ahead to the development of its clinical strategy for the next five to ten years, noting that there will be significant work undertaken over the coming year.

Cllr Addy informed the Board that an email has been circulated seeking members’ views on how the Board should operate within the new structure, with particular consideration given to future membership. Board members were encouraged to share their thoughts and suggestions directly with Cllr Addy or with Lucy Wearmouth.

RESOLVED:

That Board member updates be noted.

The Board will consider the Local Area SEND Inspection response and the Big SEND plan – Part 3.

Contact: Jo- Anne Sanders, Service Director, Learning and Early Support and Adrian Wisniewski,Programme Manager

Stewart Horn, Head of Children’s Commissioning, and Adrian Wisniewski Programme Manager Strategy Innovation and Planning, attended the meeting to provide the Board with an update on the Local Area SEND inspection response and the Big SEND 15-26 Plan Part 3.  In summary, the Board was informed that the information being presented is the third in the series of ‘Big Plans’ for children and young people with Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND) for aged 0 to 25.

The Board received an update on the ongoing transformation plan, which set out how partners will work together to improve provision and outcomes for children and young people. The latest iteration of the plan had been developed in response to the SEND Area Inspection carried out by Ofsted and the CQC in June 2025. The inspection reviewed the full range of SEND provision across Kirklees, including schools within the local authority, health providers, the ICB, and other partners. The findings highlighted inconsistencies in the support offered to children and young people and identified areas requiring improvement. These areas were formally set out in the inspection report and gave four areas to improve.

The Board was informed that the purpose of the update is to set out how the revised plan will be developed, what it will involve, and what will be required from partners and the wider system. The focus is on identifying how collective action across the system can deliver the changes needed to achieve the required improvements.

The Board was reminded that an initial draft of the plan had previously been presented due to the short timescale for responding to the inspectors. The revised version, containing additional detail, was brought back to further inform the Board.

The Board had previously advised that the strengths already demonstrated should continue to be built upon, and therefore the same format has been used as with the earlier Big Plans. This approach has received positive feedback from both the inspectors and the DfE and has been recognised nationally as an example of innovation and good practice.

The Board was advised that today’s item would provide a brief overview of the detail within the plan which has been fully endorsed by partners, despite the very tight timescale required to progress it. The Board was advised that this is not a new programme of work; partners have been collaborating on these priorities for a while and the current iteration builds on existing knowledge, established activity, and the feedback previously provided by the Board.

The Board was informed that a similar format to previous Big Plans has been used, because it was well?received and it provides a logical structure. The document begins by addressing an important question readers typically have regarding purpose and relevance, and this section has been kept concise. It was also recognised that although those involved in the work are familiar with it, not everyone will have a detailed understanding of what a local area SEND inspection entails, therefore this explanation has also been  ...  view the full minutes text for item 31.

The Board will receive a verbal update on the ongoing changes to the Integrated Care Board (ICB) landscape.

Contact: Vicky Dutchburn, Accountable Officer, NHS, West Yorkshire ICB, Kirklees Place

Vicky Dutchburn, Interim Accountable Officer for the Kirklees Integrated Care Board (ICB), updated the Board on recent developments within the Integrated Care Board landscape. In summary, it was reported that there had been significant changes since the previous briefing and that work was now progressing at pace.

The Board was reminded that, at the last update, the process had been paused until the new financial year. However, in November 2025, the ICB was notified that the pause had been lifted and that the government expected the work to move forward.

The update will outline that the intention is not only to outline the changes taking place within the ICB but also to report on progress with ongoing work, alongside the continuation of business?as?usual activity. It was highlighted that although the organisation is undergoing significant change, work continues.

The Board was advised that the update would cover four key areas:

1)         Organisational change

In relation to organisational change, this forms part of a much wider programme of change across the NHS, including NHS England and the Department of Health and Social Care. Although these wider changes will take place in due course, the ICB was required to go live and progress at pace.

As previously reported, across West Yorkshire, the organisation currently employs approximately 1,200 staff. The forthcoming changes will reduce this to around 600 posts, illustrating the scale of the organisational change required for the new structure.

Following the instruction in November that plans were to proceed, West Yorkshire took the decision to offer a voluntary redundancy scheme to all staff. This enabled the organisation to support colleagues while finalising the consultation documents for the proposed new structure. The voluntary redundancy scheme opened in November and closed at the beginning of December.  In response, there has been a significant number of staff who have applied for voluntary redundancy and there are a significant number of staff who have been recommended for approval for voluntary redundancy. If those people take redundancy they will start exiting the organisation from next month. 

Major organisational changes are expected to begin from next month. Some staff are still finalising their decisions regarding voluntary redundancy, and there are currently no firm figures available on the final impact. There remains however, a significant gap between the organisation’s current staffing position and the level required for the new structure.

On 14 January 2026, the organisation opened the formal consultation on the proposed new structure for staff. A dedicated webpage has been created to support this process, providing access to the full consultation documentation, including the proposed organisational structures and draft job descriptions.

A wide range of support and information has been provided to staff through the dedicated consultation webpage. The organisation is now partway through a 45?day consultation period. In parallel with this, any staff who were not successful in the first round of voluntary redundancy have the opportunity to appeal.

The ICB will have three core functions. It will be the Strategic Commissioner  ...  view the full minutes text for item 32.

The Board will consider a verbal update on of the Kirklees Health and Wellbeing Strategy.

Contact: Lucy Wearmouth, Head of Public Health Improvement and

Jo Hilton-Jones, Public Health Manager.

Lucy Wearmouth, Head of Population Health, provided the Board with an update on the Kirklees Health and Wellbeing Strategy.  The Board was informed that the information being presented would provide background to the refresh process and, at a high level, set out the distinctions between the Health and Wellbeing Strategy, the Health and Care Plan, and the emerging Neighbourhood Health Plans, to ensure clarity about the role and purpose of each. The update would also set out the proposed timeline for developing the refreshed strategy and explain the approach to stakeholder engagement.

The Board was reminded that the current Health and Wellbeing Strategy runs until 2027, and Rachel Spencer-Henshall presented the midpoint review to the Board in September 2025. The Strategy remains a statutory requirement, with the Health and Wellbeing Board responsible for its oversight and implementation. It also continues to be one of the partnership’s four key strategic documents.

The Board was informed that the update was being set within the context of the wider system changes outlined by Vicky Dutchburn.  The refresh of the Health and Wellbeing Strategy will need to be carefully managed to ensure alignment with those developments.

Informal conversations have already taken place with several Board members to gather early feedback on the current strategy. This included reflections on opportunities for improvement, experiences of how the Strategy has functioned over the past three to four years, and views on how members would like to shape the next phase and how it could potentially change for the future.

The Health and Wellbeing Strategy sits at the highest level, providing the overarching strategic vision for Kirklees. It sets out the long?term direction for improving population health and defines the core priorities for the system setting out the long?term priorities for improving health and wellbeing in Kirklees. It is intended to be a short and focused document that provides overarching direction, sitting above the more detailed operational plans.  Alongside this, the Health and Care Plan will continue to be developed and will ultimately evolve into the Neighbourhood Health Plan.

The Board was provided with the proposed timetable for developing the refreshed Strategy:

-        Stakeholder engagement is scheduled to take place from September this year through to January 2027. This engagement will include Board members.

-       The refreshed Strategy will then be brought back to the Health and Wellbeing Board for consideration and approval at the appropriate stages.

-       Findings from the engagement activity undertaken in March and April 2027 will be used to inform the development of the revised Health and Wellbeing Strategy in June 2027.

-       The final version of the strategy will then be presented to the Board in October 2027 for approval.

In terms of next steps, the first stage will focus on engagement with partners. This is expected to include gathering partners’ feedback on the current Health and Wellbeing Strategy, including views on its strengths, areas for improvement, and opportunities for development. Input from the Board on these proposed areas of  ...  view the full minutes text for item 33.