The two-month-long battle for the leadership of Kirklees Council has finally ended, with Reform UK coming out on top.

A secret ballot held on Wednesday (July 15) at a third full council meeting was the latest attempt to vote in a council leader, following a chaotic stalemate.

The results were close, with Reform UK group leader, Coun Sarah Wood, taking a marginal lead, with 36 votes in favour, 30 against, and one abstention.

Her opponent, Coun Andrew Cooper, Green Party group leader, fell short at 30 votes in favour, 36 against, and also shared one abstention.

Reform UK group leader, Coun Sarah Wood, has been elected as the new Leader of Kirklees Council.

placeholder image — Reform UK group leader, Coun Sarah Wood, has been elected as the new Leader of Kirklees Council.

Speaking after her success, Coun Wood said she felt “delighted” and a “bit tired”.

She said: “I have been having conversations behind the scenes and honouring my commitments. I am going to go home and see my husband, my little boy, and I am going to speak with my team.”

When asked about how she planned to lead the council moving forward, Coun Wood said to expect an “only Reform” cabinet, but assured that other groups would be represented by her own group’s commitment to “be open”.

She said: “I am going to honour my commitment to what (Kirklees) wants and what (Kirklees) needs.

Green Party group leader, Coun Andrew Cooper, was unsuccessful in his council leadership bid and after the meeting raised concerns about Reform UK being 'over-represented' on the cabinet.

“It will only be a Reform cabinet. We have people lined up in the cabinet, all with immense experience and well-suited to the roles. I will announce them in due course.”

Speaking after the meeting, Coun Cooper said: “It’s positive that the council has a leader; it had dragged on far too long, and we needed that to happen.”

But when asked about Reform’s intentions for the cabinet, Coun Cooper admitted he had reservations about the party being “over-represented”.

He said: “It’s within the leader’s gift to decide the cabinet. Seventy per cent of people did not want Reform and now they have 100 per cent of the power of decision-making in Kirklees.

“It is a big concern that 70 per cent of the electorate will not be taken into account. A lot of this stuff will happen behind closed doors.”

Now that Kirklees has a leader, the council’s CEO – Steve Mawson – will no longer serve in the interim leadership role he has filled since May’s elections.