Kirklees Council has explained why several meetings will remain cancelled until September, despite the appointment of a new Reform UK-led Cabinet.
The authority confirmed that some meetings had already been removed from the calendar before a new administration was formed following months of political deadlock.
Last week, Reform UK leader Sarah Wood was elected leader of the council, ending a two-month leadership stalemate. She announced her new Cabinet on 21 July, made up entirely of Reform councillors.
However, the council said previously cancelled meetings would not be reinstated because newly appointed Cabinet members needed time to be fully briefed on major issues and forthcoming decisions.
A council spokesperson said: “The decision was taken to allow staff to brief new Cabinet Members fully on the key issues and seek their influence on forthcoming decisions while complying with the council’s duty to publish notice of major decisions 28 days in advance of a meeting. Retaining the meeting would have limited the time available for Cabinet members to properly influence those key decisions.”
The explanation comes after criticism over the impact the leadership deadlock had on council business, with a number of meetings postponed or cancelled while councillors repeatedly failed to elect a leader.
Councillor Wood acknowledged that the delay in forming an administration had affected council processes.
She said: “It was unfortunate that we had to wait for this moment,” adding that the delay had affected some governance arrangements.
The new Cabinet includes:
- Sarah Wood – Leader of the Council
- Mark Smith – Deputy Leader
- Gill Floyd – Children’s Services
- Rob Butler – Education and SEND
- Michael Simmons – Adult Social Care and Public Health Communities
- Philip James – Housing and Physical Communities
- Pip Harvey – Place, Culture and Volunteering
- John Hardie – Regeneration, Highways and Transport
Cllr Wood said the new administration would focus on putting residents first, promoting civic pride, improving community safety and delivering change across the borough.
Council meetings are expected to resume from September.
