Cleckheaton locals, who fear they have been exposed to a “toxic cocktail” of chemicals including asbestos while living next to a building site, are fighting to have their voices heard.
The residents, who live in close proximity to a plot of land at Westgate, Cleckheaton, where 180 homes are being constructed, had wanted to ask questions and make a deputation at the last two full council meetings. However, these bids were turned down by the local authority due to council procedure. Instead, they have only been allowed to ask more general questions on things like planning regulations and procedures.
In the case of the latest deputation, which it had been hoped would be heard at last night’s meeting, locals reported that this was rejected by Kirklees Council just hours before the meeting on the grounds of an “ongoing investigation into a breach at the site”. Residents say this explanation tacitly acknowledges that asbestos exposure may have occurred, while denying affected families the right to be heard at the meeting.
But when the Local Democracy Reporting Service (LDRS) put this to the council, a spokesperson said that the local authority was not indicating that a breach had occurred in its response to residents. Rather, that it is continuing to investigate whether there has been a breach of any regulations.
Image: Elliot Bradbury
Regardless, frustration is growing among locals who say they feel “unsafe” in their homes and “silenced” by the council. Some councillors also feel they are struggling to get answers.
Councillor Jo Lawson (Community Independents, Crosland Moor and Netherton), said: “After assurances given to me and Cllr Ali Arshad (Community Independents, Heckmondwike) at 9 September at Cabinet – [that] the site was safe and Kirklees had stepped down testing, no action was to be taken by other statutory bodies and they had deemed it safe – it is alarming to find the campaign team’s deputation rejected on the grounds of: “[the] deputation relates to a specific site with investigations ongoing and yet to be determined.
“What exactly is being investigated? Are there potential risks to the health and well being of residents living near to the site? And if so what are Kirklees doing to elevate these risks? The fact the rejected deputation did not come back with a simple explanation and reassurances shows the lack of insight into how worried the local residents are regarding the situation.
“I have called on the Chief Executive and the Leader of the Council to be more open and transparent with the campaign team and local residents. What is needed here is reassurance not crass statements with no explanation, that further confounds the worry and stress residents are living under.”
Councillor Ali Arshad reiterated his stance on the matter, previously calling for works to be halted while investigations take place. He added: “Residents deserve reassurance that the air they breathe and the homes they live in are safe. Until that assurance is in place, I will continue to support calls for transparency, accountability, and immediate action to protect the community.”
When asked to address its response to residents in relation to the deputation and where residents can go to ask questions about a specific site, a council spokesperson said: “We understand residents’ concerns and have taken action over recent months to address them. This includes independent air testing around the site, reviewing the procedures that need to be followed when a site like this is developed and taking advice from experts at the UK Health Security Agency.
“As part of our testing, analysis, site visits and independent advice, we have not seen evidence that anyone living around – or nearby – the site is at risk of harm. However, we are currently looking into additional evidence provided to us by residents. We will keep local people informed about the outcome of our further investigations as soon as possible.
Image: Submitted
“The council welcomes residents and local groups to have their say at formal council meetings. Many residents have taken the opportunity over recent years to ask questions, submit petitions and make deputations. Every council also has rules around the kinds of questions that can be submitted to the council meeting. These rules include limiting questions about specific planning applications or issues that are under investigation at the time. This is to protect the integrity of the council’s decision making so that decisions – especially those with a legal dimension – are impartial and purely based on the evidence.
“In the case of the Westgate site, investigations are already underway in relation to environmental health and planning enforcement issues. That means it is not currently appropriate for them to be discussed at the council meeting. The council has several channels where residents can register complaints, seek information or make reports to planning enforcement. Residents have used many of these channels in the case of the Westgate development which is why the council has taken action and continues to investigate the issues.”
When construction of the Westgate site began earlier this year, locals became concerned by the amount of dust being generated and its contents. When the dust coated surfaces, as images have shown, residents commissioned independent asbestos tests, taking samples from around their homes. Seven of these tests have been positive for either brown or white asbestos.
Strata Homes, which is carrying out construction, has maintained that work is being done safely and in line with regulations. The company has said that it rejects any assertion that the activity on site poses a risk to human health or is being managed improperly.
When Kirklees Council commissioned independent air quality testing at the site boundary for a period of four weeks beginning on 11 August, no evidence of asbestos or airborne pollutants were found. Though residents have questioned whether the methods used would yield accurate results. The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) – Britain’s national regulatory body for workplace health and safety – is aware of the situation in Cleckheaton, though hasn’t considered it necessary to suspend the works.
