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 Councillor Yusra Hussain.

To approve the Minutes of the meeting of the Panel held on the 22 September 2025.

RESOLVED:

That the minutes of the meeting held on the 22 September 2025 be approved.

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 Panel.

All agenda items were considered in public session.

The Panel 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.

This report provides an update on progress being made to tackle high demands for homeless temporary accommodation, and the use of bed and breakfast provision.

Contact:  Sarah Holmes, Head of Housing Services, Tel 01484 221000.  

Cllr Moses Crook, Portfolio Holder for Transport and Housing, introduced the agenda item, advising the Panel that the information being presented, provides an update on temporary accommodation and bed and breakfast use in Kirklees. The report outlines the work being undertaken to address homelessness and temporary accommodation provision in Kirklees.  This work is carried out by the Housing Solution Service and funded through the general fund.  By way of clarification this is completely distinct from the landlord service, which is funded through rents and service charges, and has independent and ringfenced finances.

The Panel was informed that presentation of homelessness, usually results in the council having a duty to provide accommodation, and there has been a significant increase in these presentations nationally over recent years due to a range of factors.  For example, the cost-of-living crisis and a reduction in the availability of social housing stock.

This has resulted in an acute homelessness and temporary accommodation crisis nationally, with 130,000 households now in temporary accommodation, including 170,000 children, at a total cost to councils of £2.8 billion in 2024/2025.  In Kirklees the cost was approximately £7.6 million, however more importantly, the impact of this housing insecurity on families is profound.  Without secure and appropriate housing, people cannot benefit fully from opportunities in education or training, access jobs or support networks, eat healthy meals and other factors.

Experiencing homelessness, particularly when placed in unsuitable bed and breakfast accommodation, can prevent individuals from rebuilding their lives. In Kirklees, there has been a consistent focus on reducing this demand in order to invest in residents and ensure that everyone, especially vulnerable groups and children, has the best opportunity to thrive. The report provides an update on these efforts and the progress achieved to date.

Cllr Crook, summarised some of the achievements advising the Panel that: -

-       There has been a 20% reduction in the presentation of homelessness due to interventions upstream

-       There has been a reduction in the use of bed and breakfast in the same time frame due to additional provision of more appropriate accommodation of 20%

-       By prioritising the most vulnerable, there has been a larger reduction in the number of families with children in bed and breakfast, a reduction of 58%.

Sarah Holmes, Head of Housing Services, reminded the Panel that the Council has a statutory duty to provide temporary accommodation to homeless households. This duty applies when a household is assessed as being at the point of homelessness and is also deemed a priority need.

The Panel was informed that the duty to provide temporary accommodation does not apply to every homeless household. For those who are not owed this duty, the Council has a range of other duties to support them, including assisting them to secure alternative accommodation and working to prevent homelessness by helping them remain in their current home where possible.

The Panel was informed that a number of interventions have been put in place to try and tackle the increasingly high demand  ...  view the full minutes text for item 23.

To provide an update on development and delivery of the Council’s major capital transport infrastructure projects and invite comment/questions from the Scrutiny panel.

Contact:  Ilyas Ramjan, Interim Head of Major Projects and Paul Davis Strategic Partnership Lead, PMO.  Tel: 01484 221000

Cllr Moses Crook, introduced the agenda item, advising the Panel that the information being presented is an update on the various schemes within the transport capital programme, which are at various stages of development or delivery with some schemes paused at various stages awaiting funding opportunities. These capital schemes are often complex to design, and can be several years in development, however, it is essential that there is this pipeline of work underway in order to benefit from all funding opportunities as they arise.

The Panel was informed that the complexity of the programme increased significantly due to the impact of Covid, and the substantial rise in national construction costs. As a result, the programme was reprofiled to maximise delivery of the highest number of schemes without compromising quality or resorting to value engineering.

There remains a strong focus on active travel and modal shift, prioritising health, environmentally sustainable transport, inclusivity, and improvements to the public realm. Current projects in development reflect the priorities first set out in the Active Travel Interim Position Statement and now embedded within the recently adopted Kirklees Transport Strategy. Further opportunities to adjust paused or pipeline schemes in line with these evolving priorities may also deliver additional benefits in these areas.

David Wildman, Service Director for Skills and Regeneration, advised the Panel that the intention is to present an annual report through the democratic process. The report will review achievements, progress made, the current position, and outline future direction.

The Panel was reminded that a similar report has been presented over the past two years, outlining transport infrastructure projects funded primarily through the West Yorkshire Combined Authority (WYCA). While not covering the entire highways capital programme, the report details the projects, their current status, and progress. Some schemes have been completed and are now in evaluation, others are on site, and several are well developed and nearing commencement. The programme includes a range of complex schemes at varying stages of delivery.

The Panel was informed that pipelined projects remain a priority and there is an ambition to deliver them, however, at present, there is no funding associated for their delivery. When funding becomes available, the intention is to align these pipelined schemes and emerging priorities with the resources secured.

In response to the report and the information presented, panel members, Cllr Martyn Bolt, Mr Chas Ball, Mr Jeff Keenlyside and Cllr Imran Safdar asked a number of questions and made comments including some of the following:

Cllr Martyn Bolt outlined a few matters he wanted to highlight in the appended report.  He stated that there appeared to be a lack of strategic overview for developing projects particularly with regards to the delivery of active travel.  There has been a general awareness for approximately four years of the development of the Transpennine route upgrade rail programme and the implications that would have for active travel, including the closure of a bridge over a live railway line at Deighton called Collier Bridge. An alternative was identified which  ...  view the full minutes text for item 24.