Kirklees parks department needs renewing and restoring - Yorkshire Post Letters
From: Peter Fawcett, Cleckheaton.
The abandoned state of Kirklees parks is a matter of urgency for the new incoming council (Reform?). I'm not concerned with politics - only the parks and their future. But Kirklees council are not putting any investment in parks at all. Parks in Kirklees have been abandoned, with a few exceptions.
But seeing that there are no councillors at the moment in Kirklees. It doesn't take much brain space to ask the question as to who is responsible for this lack of investment…has it been the councillors? Or the officers?
But the officers won't own up and blame the reduced budgets and resources. Other councils are subject to the same working conditions as Kirklees, so the question has to be asked: why the difference in their parks?
Mr David Shepherd, executive director for place, should be a politician himself as he is reluctant to answer a specific question. He has blamed the weather for making the grass grow fast. He now says the abandoned state of Wilton park (I'd include Cleckheaton memorial park and Mirfield in this) is to let wildflowers grow. The dilapidated green flag at Wilton park Mr Shepherd is so proud of is a symbol of the neglect which has taken place under Mr Shepherd's watch.
Only in May 2026 Kirklees hired two additional permanent, full-time parks development officers to expand the team capacity that they already have, but what about gardeners to actually carry out the job? It is my understanding that 25 gardeners have been let go - so the figures just don't add up do they.
Other metropolitan councils are far better than Kirklees at parks management and investment - Bradford is doing well with investment going in.
So why is there so much disinterest and neglect of Kirklees parks?
When the new Kirklees council is formed, there is an urgent need for an experienced and qualified gardener to be responsible for the sole job of renewing and restoring the whole of the parks department in Kirklees. This is the only way forward out of the current malaise Kirklees parks department is in.