Kirklees Council thrown into disarray as Labor loses control

Kirklees Council has been thrown into disarray as the Labor group loses control of the council with former Leader Shabir Pandor and two Cabinet Members losing their seats.

Kirklees’ Labor group entered this year’s elections with a knife-edge majority of just one seat – holding 35 of the total 69 seats. The group needed to secure 11 out of the 23 up for grabs in this year’s elections but was only able to keep hold of seven.

Former council leader, Cllr Shabir Pandor, and Cabinet Members Jackie Ramsay and Mussarat Pervaiz have been pushed out as Independents have built their presence, taking five Labor seats. Cabinet’s dynamics are set to shift further when Deputy Leader Cllr Paul Davies steps down at the next Annual General Meeting, as he recently announced.

Read more: Alfie Lewis teenage murder accused found guilty with courtroom shouts of ‘yes’

Labor will have 31 seats on the council, the Conservatives 15, Lib Dems 10, Greens four, Kirklees Community Independents (KCI) three and other Independents six. It is unclear if any of the newly elected members will be joining the KCI.

The pressure was on for Labor after a tumultuous few months leading up to the local elections saw four former members quit over the party’s stance on the Israel-Hamas conflict. The four came together and formed the Kirklees Community Independents group which has gained traction, particularly in North Kirklees.

Independent candidates had landslide victories in Batley East and West, Dewsbury South and Dewsbury West, and narrowly poached the Heckmondwike seat from Cllr Steve Hall. Batley West candidate Zahid Kahut took over 1,700 more votes than the council’s former leader Shabir Pandor. In Dewsbury South, Independent Hanifa Darwan gained more than triple the votes of Cllr Jackie Ramsay.

However, Councilor Eric Firth had a comfortable majority in Dewsbury East, with over 800 votes separating him and Lib Dem candidate Dennis Hullock. Greenhead Labour’s Cllr Sheikh Ullah pipped the Greens’ candidate Maryam Jawaid to the post by just 41 votes.

Conservative councilors Martyn Bolt, Mark Thompson and Richard Smith kept hold of their Mirfield, Birstall and Birkenshaw, and Kirkburton seats but the Lib Dems trumped the Tories in Lindley and Almondbury wards. Lib Dem councilor Kath Pinnock also kept a tight hold of her Cleckheaton seat.

The election also saw Greens make gains keeping their Newsome seat taking Crosland Moor and Netherton seat from Labour. Holme Valley North Independent councilor Charles Greaves was also re-elected.

Labor will remain the largest party on the council and the coming weeks will see the local authority decide whether to be run as a coalition or through a minority administration.