Batley East ward cllrs have criticised the council’s plan for investment in their town as final designs are unveiled.
Batley is the subject of a £14.5m investment, set to transform the town’s public realm in areas including Western, Middle and Eastern Commercial Street, Brunswick Street and Market Place. The council says the final plans, which were revealed last week, will significantly enhance accessibility, calm traffic, improve safety, and create new public spaces.
Twelve million pounds of the project’s funding is coming from the Ministry of Housing, Communities & Local Government, supported by approximately £2.5m from Kirklees Council’s Local Centres funding and the West Yorkshire Combined Authority.
However, two Batley East ward cllrs have voiced concern that the council does not have its priorities right, as £30m is directed to the regeneration of the George Hotel in Huddersfield, with less than half of this amount being assigned to an entire town.
The local authority has repeatedly defended its approach to regeneration, believing that the large-scale regeneration of Huddersfield town centre will benefit residents across the borough, as well as the blueprint-style projects and other investments lined up for some of Kirklees’ other towns and villages.
Cllr Habiban Zaman said: “Batley residents are tired of glossy announcements that don’t match the scale of investment elsewhere. The George Hotel is a commercial venture – yet Kirklees Labour are willing to plough £30m into it, while Batley, one of the busiest town centres in North Kirklees, gets less than half of that for its entire regeneration. That’s not fairness, it’s imbalance.”
Cllr Adam Zaman said: “The £14m for Batley was not even a new commitment – it was secured under previous administrations. Residents here still face daily challenges: SEND services rated ‘inconsistent’, families placed in hotels, library services under threat, parking charges that hit small businesses, and the closure of Batley Baths. None of that is solved by drawings and PR spin.”
The cllrs stressed that they are not opposed to investment in Batley, but warned that the “scale and priorities are wrong”. Cllr Habiban Zaman added: “We welcome every penny for Batley – but what our town deserves is meaningful investment in frontline services and infrastructure, not crumbs compared to Huddersfield.
“Our community needs action on housing, SEND, and services – not more photo opportunities for Cabinet members.”
When the final plans for Batley were revealed, Kirklees Council said the public had helped to shape them. Cllr Graham Turner, Cabinet Member for Finance and Regeneration, said: “We have carefully considered the views of residents and businesses, while also carrying out traffic modelling over the spring and summer helping to inform the design, to create a scheme that delivers for Batley.
“These plans will improve accessibility for all in the town centre as well as creating vibrant new public spaces for people to meet, socialise and explore the great businesses in the heart of Batley.
“We will continue to provide key updates as construction gets underway and keep the disruption to a minimum for everyone where possible.”
