Christmas in West Yorkshire: Kirklees Council accused of 'trying to kill spirit of Christmas'

With the local authority on a tight budget, cutbacks had already been made this festive season, with communities outside of Huddersfield, Dewsbury, Batley and Cleckheaton town centres left to foot the bill if they wanted a Christmas tree in their areas.

However, while there was no light switch on, two weekends of Christmas activities were organised in Huddersfield and Dewsbury at the end of November and early December.

These were raised as examples by leader of the Council, Coun Carole Pattison, when explaining how the council had demonstrated its “commitment” to celebrating the festive season.

During the meeting on Wednesday, December 12, Councillor John Taylor brought concerns to the attention of the full council, highlighting three main issues which he worried would put people off volunteering and organising events in future.

He said: “We have the situation where you drive across the district and the Christmas trees that we’ve put up – wonderful Christmas trees – are barricaded, so you’ve got fencing around them to keep people away which is hardly in the spirit of Christmas.

“If you wish to put up festive lights, you’re being told from next year, you’ve got to fund a structural survey of every single lamppost that you want to put lights up on. These are small community groups that don’t have much money and they’re talking about them being personally liable.”

Councillor Taylor highlighted the “huge raft” of paperwork groups have to fill in to put up lights and also when organising festive events, with his last concern around the 12-week notice period required when planning such an event.

He said: “I’m already getting people who are volunteers in my villages saying ‘I don’t think I’m going to do it again’, and so because of the actions this council is taking, we’re actually pushing volunteers away.

“And at a time when financial pressures mean the council is stepping back in some areas, and we’re asking communities to step forward, what is this council going to do and when is this council going to start putting the residents first and thinking about the impact on residents of these ludicrous proposals before they come out with them?”

Leader of the Council, Coun Carole Pattison, responded: “Unfortunately there is this new legislation which is determining we need to do all these things to help events be run safely in our communities which we would all want.

“The events team will help wherever they can but I have to say just at the moment they are two people who work across the whole of Kirklees so it is very difficult for them to perhaps give as much help as I certainly would like them to and they themselves might like to.

“And perhaps, this was the first year with this new legislation so, in future years, or next Christmas, there will be more experience and the events team will be able to help small community groups to deal with those requirements which I do agree with you, seem very top heavy, but they are necessary to keep our communities safe.”