The political deadlock at Kirklees Council has deepened after a strongly-worded intervention from West Yorkshire Mayor Tracy Brabin prompted a public rebuke from Reform UK’s group leader, who claims she was excluded from correspondence sent to councillors.
In a letter published on social media on Wednesday, 17 June, Ms Brabin expressed her “disappointment” over Kirklees Council’s continued failure to elect a leader following May’s local elections, warning that the impasse was already having consequences beyond the district.
The Mayor revealed that Kirklees would not be represented at the forthcoming Annual General Meeting of the West Yorkshire Combined Authority on 25 June because councillors had been unable to agree on a council leader.
Posting the letter on X, Ms Brabin said she had written to “all councillors” urging them to resolve the ongoing political gridlock.
She wrote: “The Kirklees electorate did not give any single party majority control of the council in May. But the electorate do expect elected members to work together in the best interest of Kirklees.
“Politics can be difficult, particularly when it requires negotiation and compromise. Not doing so has consequences.”
The Mayor warned that the inability to appoint a council leader had also prevented the Combined Authority from completing its statutory political balance appointments ahead of next week’s AGM.
Under Combined Authority rules, political balance representatives can only be formally appointed once council leaders have been nominated. With Kirklees still without an administration, those appointments cannot currently be finalised.
Ms Brabin said she was particularly concerned because West Yorkshire’s Combined Authority is unique in providing formal cross-party representation through political balance positions.
“I am disappointed by this, as cross-party representation on the Board supports strong and balanced decision-making across West Yorkshire,” she wrote.
“We will not always agree, but where we do, where we find our common ground, we can demonstrate cross-party commitment to regional priorities, giving greater confidence to the public, businesses and investors that politicians can put place over politics.”
She concluded by urging councillors to continue negotiations, adding that Kirklees had a “good recent history of compromise and negotiation” and calling for further cross-party discussions “for the benefit of Kirklees residents, and the public across West Yorkshire.”
However, within hours of the letter being made public, Reform UK Group Leader Councillor Sarah Wood challenged the Mayor’s claim that the correspondence had been sent to all members.
In a public Facebook post, Cllr Wood said she had not received the letter despite leading the largest political group on Kirklees Council.
She wrote: “It appears that I may not have been included in the distribution of your recent letter to Kirklees councillors regarding the current leadership situation.
“A number of colleagues have confirmed receipt, but nothing appears to have reached my inbox.”
Cllr Wood then requested that the Mayor send her a copy directly, adding that, as leader of the council’s largest political group, she would expect to have received the correspondence.
In a pointed but measured response, she added: “I know you value inclusivity. I am sure this is simply an administrative oversight and look forward to reading your comments in full.”
The exchange marks the latest chapter in Kirklees’ ongoing political uncertainty following May’s elections, which resulted in no party securing overall control of the authority.
Councillors have so far failed to agree on a leadership arrangement, leaving the council without a formally elected leader and raising concerns about the district’s representation at regional level.
The situation has already attracted attention after reports emerged that senior council officials had urged political groups to reach an agreement following unsuccessful attempts to elect a leader during meetings held in May.
With the Combined Authority’s AGM now just days away, pressure is mounting on Kirklees councillors to break the deadlock and restore the district’s representation at the highest level of regional decision-making.
At the time of publication, Ms Brabin had not publicly responded to Councillor Wood’s claims that she was omitted from the original distribution list.
