Kirklees Council is facing criticism over a new weekly grounds-maintenance service charge that will be levied on council tenants from November, with opposition councillors warning the policy creates a “two-tier system” on mixed-tenure estates.
Approved by Cabinet in July 2025, the change allows the council to add up to £1 per week to tenants’ rent to pay for grass-cutting and wider estate upkeep. Those services were previously funded from general budgets. Crucially, owner-occupiers and private renters living on the same estates will not be billed, a discrepancy that has sparked anger among tenant groups and campaigners amid ongoing cost-of-living pressures.
Community Alliance Kirklees said the timing and design of the charge risk undermining confidence in local services. Alliance leader Cllr Cathy Scott (Dewsbury East) called the fee “a back-door rent rise” that will hit families, pensioners and disabled residents most. “People are already struggling with rent, food and energy bills,” she said. “Adding a new weekly charge for services everyone benefits from is unfair and divisive. If maintenance is essential — and it is — it should be funded fairly across communities.”
According to the council’s own statutory consultation report, 70% of respondents opposed the charge, raising concerns about affordability and historic variability in maintenance standards. Despite that response, Cabinet voted to proceed, with notices of tenancy variation issued ahead of the planned November start date.
Cllr Yusra Hussain (Batley West) said tenants feel their views were set aside. “Most respondents said they couldn’t absorb another cost. Yet the decision went ahead while flagship regeneration projects elsewhere continue to receive substantial funding. Residents deserve clarity on how this new income will be used and whether it will deliver visible improvements.”
Community Alliance is calling for an immediate suspension of the charge pending a full equality and fairness review, a line-by-line breakdown of what the fee covers, and a consistent policy that treats residents equitably regardless of tenure. The group plans to raise the issue at the next full council meeting and is asking affected households to document impacts on their budgets.
Supporters of service charges argue that councils face acute financial pressures and that ring-fencing contributions can stabilise local environmental services. Housing bodies elsewhere in the country have introduced similar fees, typically paired with published service schedules and performance reporting. Campaigners say that if Kirklees proceeds, transparency and accountability will be essential: residents need to see where every pound goes, how often areas are maintained, and how complaints will trigger remedial action.
Opposition councillors also want assurance that vulnerable tenants will not be penalised for arrears linked solely to the new charge and that hardship routes are clearly signposted. In mixed-tenure neighbourhoods, they are pressing for a single estate standard so the public realm is maintained to consistent levels without cost-shifting onto one group.
Kirklees Council has been approached for comment about the policy rationale, consultation response and safeguards for tenants. Any statement received will be added to this story.
