I am delighted to present my annual report for the last 12 months. It has been an honour and privilege to serve the people of Batley West since my election in 2002. We have once again managed to re-elect Cllr Mahmood Akhtar and Cllr Gwen Lowe to serve Batley East and West for another 4 years. I was their Agent and we won with a very convincing majority. The result was testimony to the hard work our Batley East and West team has put in over the years and despite the doom and gloom, we try our level best to support, help and assist anyone who contacts us.
The council is facing yet another further round of cuts totalling around £60m – this means that we will lose around 37% of our total budget. This is a major challenge to us all but the simple answer is that we are not being treated fairly by the Conservative and Lib Dem government in Westminster when it comes to allocating money to local authorities like ours..
Looking Ahead
Last year I mentioned that despite the massive onslaught on councils, the Government is imposing further deadly cuts on councils up and down the country. This year will be very challenging as the council will need to start to make decisions for the next financial year and beyond on how it begins to work within the constraints and the cuts the Government has forced on us.
I am now the Lead Member for Schools. I have thoroughly enjoyed the challenges that came with my previous corporate Resources Portfolio and indeed learnt a lot on how budgets formulate policy and strategy and how the different elements of the council’s finances work – and how the finances translate into services and activities for all our towns, villages and communities across Kirklees.
Participation in Meetings
I have attended every Full Council meeting since my election and I have also attended numerous other meetings within the council in my role as a cabinet member. I am also very active in the ward and have attended events, meetings, conferences and other community related activities in my ward.
Last year I mentioned that a lot of councillor time is spent in meetings. This year I have attended cabinet meetings, cabinet briefings, portfolio holder meetings, area committee meetings, meetings organised by local community groups such as the neighbourhood watch.
I also attend Batley West Labour Branch Meetings and Constituency Meetings where we have the opportunity to discuss and debate issues that are going to affect Batley and Spen constituency.
Meetings are an important part of local government and it is one of the ways how our constituents can hold us to account as their elected representatives.
Ward Work – Representing You
There are many community and voluntary groups in Batley West and I try to meet them as often as I can. Most groups only call upon me when they come across and major issues or problems.
I have seen my ward work increase over the years and the last year was no different. I have developed my own system of carrying out this aspect of my role. I take many telephone calls and meet my constituents in an evening and weekends as well.
The biggest issue that I have to deal with is housing, or should I say the lack of it, and the problems around younger people being able to secure housing despite working.
The scope of ward work varies – for example I have had an ASB case dating back a couple of years and things seemed to have cooled down but the issues have surfaced again and I have to involve various agencies to resolve the problems.
The ‘Plant It, Grow It, Eat It’ project has been a success with two groups in my ward - the Wilton TRA who have done an excellent job working from Bleak House and have cultivated the gardens and grown their own vegetables. The other Group is the Manor Way group who have undertaken a massive task to develop some council land into allotments – considerable progress has been made and both groups deserve a special mention as they have shown leadership and are an inspiration to all.
We do hold surgeries throughout Batley West Ward. I have found these to be a very effective tool to know what’s going on at a grassroots level and it gives constituents the opportunity to come and talk to their councillors. The one thing that has proved to be effective is feedback from the organisations that host our surgeries. The amount of intelligence and information I get is invaluable and enables me to understand what is happening throughout my ward and where issues may be arising.
Another major initiative that I have seen develop from early inception to near completion, is the next phase of the Housing Development in Healey.
Training and Development
As the local government environment is continuously changing, I am continuously seeking to take advantage of the training and development programme and attend any refresher sessions available. The Labour Group Seminar Days I’ve attended have been very beneficial and informative as we have discussed issues around health, police, finances and policy and strategy related issues.
As part of the Cabinet we have had team building training sessions – I found this very useful and have developed skills in areas that will allow me to become more effective as a cabinet member and a local ward councillor.
As always, my annual report and my learning would not have been complete if I did not have excellent support from my two ward colleagues; Cllr Peter O’Neill and Gwen Lowe.
I have also enjoyed working with Mike Wood and all his staff on issues that are of concern to the local community.
The future…
Despite the massive onslaught by Central Government, the Labour Group in Kirklees has pledged to tackle the cost of living crisis together and develop ways on how we can keep the Kirklees pound in Kirklees.
One major impact of the massive cuts in our finances is the challenge to balance the books; a legal requirement. Hence we will have to do this fairly, honestly and co-operatively. This will be done by working directly with communities and exploring new ways of service provision.
One thing we will all need to do more of is to lobby central government for a better share of the money that is distributed to Kirklees and in particular, highways funding to repair our roads. The Government take most of our road tax and we want it invested back in local areas on a fair basis. The money we get back is not what has been put in by tax payers of Kirklees.
The government grant for highways has been cut from £20.4m to £8.6m (58% reduction), since 2009. The Government are cutting our budget by more than ever. By 2017 the budget Kirklees Council has control over will have been cut by £129 million, which equates to roughly 37% cut.
Our Labour Group in Kirklees will empower individuals to create safe, vibrant, independent and healthy communities despite the hard times we are facing and I am passionate as ever to do this.
A major challenge we have is to develop and agree our plans for where we build houses and develop economic growth to strengthen our local economy. We need to do this to ensure every family has a safe and secure place to live and there are decent jobs.
The council is facing yet another further round of cuts totalling around £60m – this means that we will lose around 37% of our total budget. This is a major challenge to us all but the simple answer is that we are not being treated fairly by the Conservative and Lib Dem government in Westminster when it comes to allocating money to local authorities like ours..
Looking Ahead
Last year I mentioned that despite the massive onslaught on councils, the Government is imposing further deadly cuts on councils up and down the country. This year will be very challenging as the council will need to start to make decisions for the next financial year and beyond on how it begins to work within the constraints and the cuts the Government has forced on us.
I am now the Lead Member for Schools. I have thoroughly enjoyed the challenges that came with my previous corporate Resources Portfolio and indeed learnt a lot on how budgets formulate policy and strategy and how the different elements of the council’s finances work – and how the finances translate into services and activities for all our towns, villages and communities across Kirklees.
Participation in Meetings
I have attended every Full Council meeting since my election and I have also attended numerous other meetings within the council in my role as a cabinet member. I am also very active in the ward and have attended events, meetings, conferences and other community related activities in my ward.
Last year I mentioned that a lot of councillor time is spent in meetings. This year I have attended cabinet meetings, cabinet briefings, portfolio holder meetings, area committee meetings, meetings organised by local community groups such as the neighbourhood watch.
I also attend Batley West Labour Branch Meetings and Constituency Meetings where we have the opportunity to discuss and debate issues that are going to affect Batley and Spen constituency.
Meetings are an important part of local government and it is one of the ways how our constituents can hold us to account as their elected representatives.
Ward Work – Representing You
There are many community and voluntary groups in Batley West and I try to meet them as often as I can. Most groups only call upon me when they come across and major issues or problems.
I have seen my ward work increase over the years and the last year was no different. I have developed my own system of carrying out this aspect of my role. I take many telephone calls and meet my constituents in an evening and weekends as well.
The biggest issue that I have to deal with is housing, or should I say the lack of it, and the problems around younger people being able to secure housing despite working.
The scope of ward work varies – for example I have had an ASB case dating back a couple of years and things seemed to have cooled down but the issues have surfaced again and I have to involve various agencies to resolve the problems.
The ‘Plant It, Grow It, Eat It’ project has been a success with two groups in my ward - the Wilton TRA who have done an excellent job working from Bleak House and have cultivated the gardens and grown their own vegetables. The other Group is the Manor Way group who have undertaken a massive task to develop some council land into allotments – considerable progress has been made and both groups deserve a special mention as they have shown leadership and are an inspiration to all.
We do hold surgeries throughout Batley West Ward. I have found these to be a very effective tool to know what’s going on at a grassroots level and it gives constituents the opportunity to come and talk to their councillors. The one thing that has proved to be effective is feedback from the organisations that host our surgeries. The amount of intelligence and information I get is invaluable and enables me to understand what is happening throughout my ward and where issues may be arising.
Another major initiative that I have seen develop from early inception to near completion, is the next phase of the Housing Development in Healey.
Training and Development
As the local government environment is continuously changing, I am continuously seeking to take advantage of the training and development programme and attend any refresher sessions available. The Labour Group Seminar Days I’ve attended have been very beneficial and informative as we have discussed issues around health, police, finances and policy and strategy related issues.
As part of the Cabinet we have had team building training sessions – I found this very useful and have developed skills in areas that will allow me to become more effective as a cabinet member and a local ward councillor.
As always, my annual report and my learning would not have been complete if I did not have excellent support from my two ward colleagues; Cllr Peter O’Neill and Gwen Lowe.
I have also enjoyed working with Mike Wood and all his staff on issues that are of concern to the local community.
The future…
Despite the massive onslaught by Central Government, the Labour Group in Kirklees has pledged to tackle the cost of living crisis together and develop ways on how we can keep the Kirklees pound in Kirklees.
One major impact of the massive cuts in our finances is the challenge to balance the books; a legal requirement. Hence we will have to do this fairly, honestly and co-operatively. This will be done by working directly with communities and exploring new ways of service provision.
One thing we will all need to do more of is to lobby central government for a better share of the money that is distributed to Kirklees and in particular, highways funding to repair our roads. The Government take most of our road tax and we want it invested back in local areas on a fair basis. The money we get back is not what has been put in by tax payers of Kirklees.
The government grant for highways has been cut from £20.4m to £8.6m (58% reduction), since 2009. The Government are cutting our budget by more than ever. By 2017 the budget Kirklees Council has control over will have been cut by £129 million, which equates to roughly 37% cut.
Our Labour Group in Kirklees will empower individuals to create safe, vibrant, independent and healthy communities despite the hard times we are facing and I am passionate as ever to do this.
A major challenge we have is to develop and agree our plans for where we build houses and develop economic growth to strengthen our local economy. We need to do this to ensure every family has a safe and secure place to live and there are decent jobs.
