Cleckheaton Folk Festival at risk for second successive year as Kirklees Council fails to make repairs at town hall

Earlier this year, the Local Democracy Reporting Service (LDRS) reported that the annual festival had been cancelled in its 34th year as its town hall venue was regarded as “unsafe” by the council due to an issue with the ceiling.

However, despite being aware of the safety issue for almost a year, the council is yet to make any repairs.

Unfortunately, this has implications for next year’s festival, with the event currently surrounded by uncertainty. As a result of the delays in resolving the problem, the town hall will be closed from August until further notice.

At a meeting of the council’s cabinet on Tuesday (June 27), ward councillor John Lawson (Lib Dem, Cleckheaton) wanted answers about the future of the town hall.

He asked members: “How are you going to reassure residents in Cleckheaton that it will not take another year for this issue to be resolved and that next year’s Cleckheaton Folk Festival’s place is assured in the calendar?”

In response, cabinet member for corporate services, Coun Paul Davies, said: “We’re aware of the impact and none of us are happy with the impact on residents because of the situation with Cleckheaton Town Hall.

“However, as you’re also aware and as part of our overall approach in terms of corporate landlord and assets etc we are going through a review at the moment in terms of our budgets going forward and working out the most effective way to continue to keep our buildings up to the standard that they should be, and at the same time address the challenges we’ve got.

“So, at this point, I wouldn’t be able to give you any timelines. I’m more than happy to follow up on this and see if there’s anything further, more specific I can give you but clearly, and I know you understand this as well, we’re in very difficult times, hence to some degree if you like, a lack of clarity, simply because we’re looking through not just the maintenance and upkeep in Cleckheaton Town Hall but across our whole asset base.”

Speaking outside of the meeting, fellow Cleckheaton ward Lib Dem Coun Kath Pinnock said: “A year has passed and there have been no repairs. Now the council is going to close the town hall from August until further notice.

“The repairs must be done urgently to help out the groups that use it. In addition, local hospitality businesses need to know what’s happening as they’re putting their business projections together for next summer.

"The trade that comes to Cleckheaton through town hall events shouldn’t be ignored.

“The council’s failure to act shows how little they care about our lovely town.”

Following the meeting, the LDRS asked for clarification on the planned closure of the town hall.

In response, Coun Graham Turner, cabinet member for growth and regeneration, said: “In order to carry out specialist surveys and inspections of the ceiling above the concert hall, we’ll be putting up scaffolding around the hall itself and the stage.

“This work will take some time, and it’s likely that the results of the surveys won’t be with us until early autumn. We’ll then need to understand what works need to be undertaken and their cost.

"Until this has happened, I’m afraid we can’t provide a timescale for repairs.

“To reduce the impact on people who regularly visit and use the town hall, we’ve been working to move all events to other public buildings.

"We will make further announcements once we have the results from our surveys.”