Councillor keen to call time on ‘wasteful’ area meetings

Kirburton Conservative Adrian Murphy says he is speaking out after becoming frustrated with how Kirklees Council operates area committee meetings.

He says residents face traipsing miles across Kirklees to far flung outposts of the borough and having to waste precious time listening to discussion about items of no conceivable interest to them before they get the chance to bring up issues in their own backyard.

Coun Murphy said: “For a long time now we have said that triple ward area committees are a complete waste of our time as councillors, officer’s time, and more importantly the public’s time.

“The whole concept of area committees was so the general public could have an input into local issues in their own wards.

“With Mirfield, Denby Dale and Kirkburton wards being tied together, it has made a complete mockery of the committee.

“When people have to travel from Kirkburton and Denby Dale to Mirfield, (a round trip of more than 20 miles), for them to listen to Mirfield matters (and vice versa) before addressing items that they find relevant to themselves, it is no wonder only a few people turn up from these areas, and it is understandable.

“When we had our own area committees everything was relevant to our ward, attendance at the meetings was excellent, and if there was an important current issue people turned out because it was local.

“As chairman of the Mirfield, Denby Dale and Kirkburton committee, I have decided enough is enough.

“We will now have area committee forums for each of the three wards.

“This way we get back to being accessible for the public to meetings in their own villages, and give them the opportunity to become involved in their own area.

“I look forward to people once again taking part, and I will do my best to see that we have items of interest and our local police teams with current updates present and on the agendas.

“If residents have specific issues they think should be discussed locally, please let us know.”

A spokeswoman for Kirklees Council declined to comment.

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