Mirfield’s new mayor expects a bumper year

Driving instructor and councillor Vivien Lees-Hamilton will chair her first meeting of Mirfield Town Council on Tuesday.

She has been a member of the town council since 2004, and is also one of Mirfield’s three Kirklees councillors.

The 53-year-old said becoming the first citizen of the town was an honour.

“I was born in Mirfield, I have been here for the past 53 years and I care passionately about the area where I live,” she said.

“To be elected at town mayor, I feel it’s a great honour.”

Coun Lees-Hamilton got involved in local politics when she campaigned against a proposed waste transfer station in Hopton.

“That caught someone’s eye and I was contacted about joining the town council,” she said.

Since then, Coun Lees-Hamilton has been elected onto Kirklees Council twice and has engaged with a range of issues in Mirfield - from securing investment in traffic calming measures to setting a up a new skatepark in Knowl Park.

“It’s a real boost every time I go down to there and I see that park full of people doing their own activities,” she said. “It’s given the young people something that’s their own.”

The town council will face a busy year ahead, as it identifies new priorities by returning to 2008’s Mirfield Matters survey and working out what work still needs to be done.

Town councillors - including Coun Lees-Hamilton’s husband, Mark - will also be looking at issues such as the town’s public toilets and parking in the town centre.

“You learn to juggle,” she said. “As a councillor, you have to be committed to putting the time in.

“It’s not a Monday to Friday, nine-to-five job - it’s seven days a week, 24 hours a day.”

But Coun Lees-Hamilton added: “I enjoy the challenges. I very much believe in Mirfield and I believe in Mirfield people.

“Sometimes people just do not get a fair deal, who might not be in a position to fight back.

“They might not have all the knowledge or resources to fight back. That’s my role.”