The leader of Kirklees Council expects to face an imminent challenge for the post

Change could soon be on the way for Kirklees Council as leader Cllr Cathy Scott expects to face an imminent challenge to her leadership.

With Kirklees Council thrown into disarray after Labor lost overall control in the local elections, the stability of the council is at stake. Kirklees’ Labor group will elect a leader this evening (13 May) at their annual general meeting. The position of deputy leader is also up for grabs as Cllr Paul Davies previously announced he would be standing down from tonight’s meeting so he can focus on his ambitions to become MP for Colne Valley.

The group is down nine seats compared to last year, now holding 30 of all 69 council seats. Since January, five councilors have resigned over the Party’s stance on the Israel-Hamas conflict and other seats were lost in recent local elections.

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Current leader Cllr Cathy Scott has already said she hopes to continue as leader going forward. However, the Local Democracy Reporting Service (LDRS) understands she will be challenged by Cllr Carole Pattison of Greenhead and Cllr Graham Turner of Golcar.

As for the deputy post, Cllr Moses Crook (Holme Valley South) is thought to be the leading candidate. Councilor Mus Khan – the latest Kirklees councilor to resign from the Labor Party over his stance on the Middle East – was another councilor in the running.

The Labor resignations began with Dewsbury West councilor Cllr Ammar Anwar announcing he was leaving the party over the situation in Gaza in a tearful speech at a council meeting in January. Councilors Jo Lawson, Imran Safdar and former councilor Ebrahim Dockrat followed suit in the weeks that followed.

The four councilors formed a new group on the council – Kirklees Community Independents – with Cllr Lawson leading.

The Labor group also took a hit in the local elections, losing four seats, with the seats of former leader Shabir Pandor and cabinet members Jackie Ramsay and Mussarat Pervaiz being poached by independent candidates. Labor now holds 30 of all 69 council seats.

Just before the election it emerged that Cllr Paul Moore (Labour, Dewsbury East) is facing charges of causing a public nuisance and carrying on a business with intent to defraud creditors or for other fraudulent reasons. The councilor was administratively suspended from the Party, having the automatic effect of suspending the Labor whip on the council.

Speaking after the local elections, Cllr Cathy Scott said the group needed to “go back to the drawing board” and listen to the local community. As Labor does not now have overall control of the council but remains the largest party, it could continue to govern as a minority administration. An alternative would be to form a coalition with another group.

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