Kirklees Council budget: Council tax rise but markets to close as £69m cut

But council staff will get a wage rise as part of the authority’s promise to deliver a living wage.

Kirklees councillors thrashed out their spending plans for the next three years on Wednesday.

It was the leading Labour party’s budget proposal that was accepted, with some amendments from the Green and Valley Independents. Conservative and Liberal Democrat amendments were rejected.

Council tax will rise by 1.95 per cent, while Batley and Birstall’s markets close, Dewsbury’s Spirit event is cancelled and school crossing patrols are reduced.

Kirklees Council is on £152m drive to slash spending over seven years due to government cuts. Some £83m has already been saved and it was agreed another £69m will be cut over the next three years.

Around 1,000 jobs will also go in the period. Kirklees currently employs around 7,000 people, excluding teachers.

Council leader David Sheard reminded the meeting that while most of the budget debate had centred around highly visible services – such as libraries, markets and buses – most of Kirklees’ budget was spent on social care and it was that budget which was facing deep cuts.

“The problem this council faces in social care is the problem the entire country faces,” he said. “But if we don’t reform by 2022 Kirklees Council will do nothing else whatsoever apart from helping people needing social care.”

Coun Sheard said the council was moving towards a “prevention agenda” to deal with cuts to children’s services.

He also warned that it was “not the end” of the cutbacks as there remained a £20m shortfall in the budget for year three.

Liberal Democrat leader Coun Nicola Turner had called on the Labour group to reverse cuts to community events such as Cleckheaton Folk Festival and Crown of Lights.

“Events, festivals and things that cement communities together may not happen and this will damage local communities,” she said.

Tory leader Robert Light criticised the council tax rise – his party had promised to freeze it. “It is morally indefensible to be taxing people when this council has such high levels of reserves,” he said.

The Labour budget pledged to invest £5m in Dewsbury town centre and £10m in Huddersfield.