We are ambitious for all of Kirklees

Kirklees is a patchwork of towns and villages that spread from the centre of West Yorkshire to the borders of Greater Manchester and our friends in South Yorkshire. A patchwork that reflects a proud heritage of textiles and industry that placed us at the centre of British economic life.

Our towns and villages have their own identities and histories – the way you pronounce a village’s name can sometimes depend on which side of a hill you live on. But they all face the same struggles and have the same ambition – and we, as Kirklees Labour, have been supporting our nearly 500,000 residents with these.

We have great centres of culture and host large multinational businesses, but we also have pockets of poverty and households that have an income of £10,000 less than the national average.

Our Labour values of equality and social justice, and our ambition to build a fairer society through strong public services giving power to working people are how we lead in Kirklees – and how we will choose to lead going forward.

Since July 2024, Labour has led Kirklees Council with a minority administration, a group of only 23. But in that time we have facilitated, managed and secured hundreds of millions in regeneration funding for towns big and small, aiming to harness the benefits of the TransPennine route upgrade that is a vital artery breathing life and activity across our district.

We are enabling families to have dignity where they live, investing hundreds of millions into social housing, ending the use of costly BnB style accommodation for homeless families and children and reducing homelessness against the national picture.

Important services have been protected with all our libraries staying open in Kirklees when many other councils have closed across theirs. We achieved an improved rating of GOOD from Ofsted for our children’s services. We are proud of our achievements that serve our communities and support our children, securing a more prosperous and fairer future for us all.

Every year that Labour has been in charge we have set a balanced budget and protected the most vulnerable amongst us. We have brought stability to the council at times of significant political challenges and, where needed, we have led cross-party efforts to deliver for residents. This is what our residents want, need and expect of us.

Like all councils across the country we have faced financial struggles and challenges, but guided by our values, experience and skills, we have weathered these.

However,  challenges remain, stretching budgets to meet our local needs, where household incomes are lower than the national average, addressing the increased demands on frontline services and supporting our residents as they face the present affordability crisis.

Looking ahead we want to continue to benefit from a Labour Ggvernment that is committed to investing in Kirklees and its people. On the doorstep residents recognise the policy changes Labour nationally is implementing, whether it’s expanded free school meals provision and free breakfast clubs in every school and the 30 hours free childcare for working families or the minimum wage increase and the abolition of the two-child benefit cap and more. 

Whether in Dewsbury, Birkenshaw, Dalton, Marsden, Lindley or elsewhere, these policies are making a positive difference to hardworking families in Kirklees.

We want to ensure that investment into our towns creates good and well-paying jobs, improves living standards and drives economic growth that will spread out across Kirklees. This will then support retaining, building and innovating new frontline services that will continue to prioritise and protect the vulnerable.

To retain just and ambitious leadership for Kirklees, that prioritises the vulnerable and grasps the opportunities for economic growth, residents should use all three votes for Labour in Kirklees on Thursday, 7 May 2026.