The 5 biggest events and decisions made at Kirklees Council in May

NewsThe 5 biggest events and decisions made at Kirklees Council in MayIt's been another eventful monthhuddersfieldexaminerBookmarkShareCommentsNewsByAbigail MarlowLocal Democracy

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As May draws to a close, we revisit some of the standout decisions made by Kirklees Council.

While the calendar may have been quieter than usual as the council reached the end of the municipal year, it’s still been an eventful month in Kirklees. The borough’s new Mayor has taken

office and a revamped Cabinet has been unveiled.

A decision to install EV chargers across Kirklees was made and the ‘once in a lifetime’ development of Huddersfield special schools has taken a major step forward. Elsewhere, the extent of

the borough’s fly-tipping problem was brought to the fore as data revealed the shockingly low number of prosecutions made against perpetrators.

The following is a roundup of five key points of council business in May.

Mayor of Kirklees takes office and new Cabinet is appointed

On May 21, Huddersfield Town Hall was packed as Cllr Elizabeth Smaje (Con), became the new Mayor of Kirklees taking over from Cllr Nosheen Dad (Labour, Dewsbury South). Councillor Munir

Ahmed (Labour, Dalton) has taken on the role of Deputy.

At the special Mayor Making Ceremony, Cllr Smaje, who was elected to represent her home ward of Birstall and Birkenshaw in 2004, vowed that she wouldn’t let the residents of Kirklees down

and would carry out her duties to the best of her judgement and abilities.

The councillor was spoken highly of by her colleagues, with Cllr Josh Sheard (Con, Birstall and Birkenshaw) saying that Cllr Smaje is a person of “integrity, dedication and calm leadership”,

who puts community before politics.

Shortly after the ceremony was the annual meeting of Kirklees’ full council. Here, a new Cabinet was unveiled by Leader of the Council, Cllr Carole Pattison (Labour, Greenhead), who

described members as having a “wealth of experience and deep connections with communities across Kirklees”

The new look Labour Cabinet is as follows: Cllr Moses Crook (Deputy Leader) - Housing and Transport; Cllr Viv Kendrick - Children’s Services; Cllr Jane Rylah - Education; Cllr Beverley Addy

- Public Health; Cllr Nosheen Dad - Adult Social Care and Corporate; Cllr Amanda Pinnock - Communities and Environment; Cllr Tyler Hawkins - Highways and Waste; and Cllr Graham Turner -

Finance and Regeneration.

Greenlight for electric vehicle charger roll out

New Electric Vehicle (EV) charging points will be rolled out across Kirklees, with 23 locations confirmed for ‘phase one’ of the scheme. This came as part of a multi-million pound investment

- the Local Electric Vehicle Infrastructure (LEVI) Fund - with just under £2.5m allocated to Kirklees from the government. Further cash from private providers will take the total earmarked

for Kirklees to around £3.8m.

Later phases of the project will see further expansion into on-street locations, with this to be delivered in 2026/27.

Councillor Moses Crook, Deputy Leader of the Council and Cabinet Member for Transport and Highways, said: "This pilot scheme is a critical step in making electric vehicles more accessible.

We know that many households without off-street parking are currently limited if they have an electric vehicle. These new chargers mean that if someone wants to make the switch to an

electric vehicle, it will be a more practical option.”

Exciting next steps for Huddersfield special school

Extensive demolition work is underway at the site of the former Almondbury High School which is set to become the ‘state-of-the-art’ new home of Woodley School and College as a

multi-million-pound transformation takes shape.

Woodley, which is currently located at Dog Kennel Bank in Huddersfield, caters for pupils with complex autism and will be able to accommodate 180 pupils at its new Fernside Avenue premises

once it’s up and running.

The development comes as part of Kirklees Council’s bid to improve children’s outcomes and transform support for those with Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND).

artist's impression of the new Joseph Norton Academy (Image: Kirklees Council)

There is a similar project to rebuild and relocate Joseph Norton Academy from Scissett to Deighton Road in Huddersfield. The school is for pupils with Social, Emotional and Mental Health

needs. Combined, the two projects come with a price tag of £46.6m.

Fly-tipping prosecutions shockingly low

This month, it was revealed that less than one per cent of Kirklees fly-tippers were fined or prosecuted in 2024/25, despite the council’s ‘zero tolerance’ approach.

Between April 1, 2024 and March 31, 2025, 10,120 fly-tipping incidents were reported to Kirklees Council . Fifty-three Fixed Penalty Notices were issued during this period and 21 people were

prosecuted in court. The council says there are more decisions to come over the next few months.

The most recent figures from the Department for Environment Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA), revealed that in 2023/2024 there were 8,317 cases of fly-tipping reported in Kirklees, and 7,182

in 2022/23. Forty-eight Fixed Penalty Notices were issued in this time.

However, things could soon be looking up as the local authority welcomed a government announcement of greater powers to tackle the blight of fly tipping. The government urged local

authorities to seize and crush fly-tippers' vehicles.

Two major planning applications go to committee

Plans for Barnsley Road and Cliff Hill at Denby Dale went before Kirklees’ Strategic Planning Committee this month, as residents spoke of their ‘terror’ in the case of one application.

PB Planning hopes to construct 62-homes on a plot of land at Cliff Hill but locals have made their opposition clear, speaking of their terror should the plans be approved.

Plans for the site have been turned down twice before and were most recently rejected last summer, with the committee fearing the level of vehicle movements it would generate, environmental

impacts. Major concerns were also raised over the site’s stability due to its coal mining past. However, the applicant argued that the reasons “cannot be justified” and lodged an appeal.

While the latest application included a legal agreement stating that the site owner will not “dispose, sell, or appropriate” any of the coal removed or extracted from the site for

“commercial purposes” or burn it, members were not convinced that the wording would prohibit a third party from selling or burning the extracted coal. As a result, the plans were left in

limbo being deferred to a later meeting.

The decision for 30-homes at Barnsley Road was also contentious, with the committee divided. The application was pushed through by the Chair’s deciding vote.

Now, Strata Homes is free to construct the properties, 21 of which will be five bedroomed, with the remainder having two, three or four bedrooms. Most of the properties will be detached, and

each one will come with a driveway or garage.

Like the previous application, the community was not convinced, with a total of 161 representations made. Among the main concerns were that the village was in need of smaller starter homes

rather than costly, large properties.

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