Kirklees Council: Rebuilding trust is a priority for new Labor leader

The new Labor group leader on Kirklees Council said the party’s “immediate challenge” was to regain the trust of the community.

Carole Pattison has taken over the role from Cathy Scott and will be put forward to become council leader at a meeting next week.

She takes up the mantle with her party no longer in overall control of the council and on the back of a series of councilors leaving the party.

Speaking to the BBC, she said: “We need to focus on the things that matter to everyone in Kirklees, as well as dealing with this lack of confidence that we obviously have at the moment.”

Five Labor councilors have left the group since January, highlighting the national party’s position on the Israel-Gaza war and problems with the party’s local leadership.

In May’s local elections, four new independent candidates were elected in areas that have traditionally returned Labor councillors.

The council has also struggled to make savings of almost £48m.

Ms Pattison said the local task force realized there was a “problem” with support “before Christmas”.

“We didn’t realize it was going to be this bad, maybe, until it got closer to the election,” she said.

“But we were certainly aware that the community, or certain communities, were unhappy with the direction the local Labor party was taking, and particularly the national party.”