Community Alliance Kirklees has criticised Kirklees Council for missing its commitment to publish the long-awaited Green and Open Spaces (“Green Land”) Report, which was due before Cabinet in October 2025. The report was expected to identify potential new burial-land sites in Dewsbury and Batley.
Earlier this year, council officers informed the Kirklees Bereavement Forum that the report would go to Cabinet in October. The Cabinet Forward Plan, published in March 2025, also listed the Green Land Report for consideration that month. However, no such report appeared on the October Cabinet agenda, and no public explanation has been offered for the delay.
Councillor Cathy Scott, Leader of Community Alliance Kirklees, said: “When the Council tells residents and community groups that a report will come forward, it must honour that commitment. Promising openness and then failing to deliver information undermines public trust. Transparency means being honest when deadlines are missed and clear about what happens next. Communities in Dewsbury have been waiting far too long for new burial land. The public deserves a clear update, not silence.”
The issue of burial space has been raised repeatedly over the past year. At Full Council in February 2025, members reaffirmed their commitment to providing multi-faith burial provision for Dewsbury and Batley. Despite that resolution, and the clear timetable in the Forward Plan, residents are still waiting.
Community Alliance Kirklees is now calling for:
• Immediate publication of the deferred Green Land Report;
• A clear timetable for delivery of new burial-land provision in Dewsbury; and
• Open consultation with local faith and community groups.
Councillor Scott added: “This isn’t about politics. It’s about respect, equality and doing what we say we’ll do. The Council must come clean on what has caused the delay and publish the report without further excuses.”
The Green and Open Spaces Report was formally listed for October Cabinet discussion in the Council’s Forward Plan. Responsibility for Bereavement Services and Cemeteries lies with Councillor Carole Pattison, Cabinet Member for Culture and Greener Kirklees.
