NONE of Kirklees’ parish councils will be axed and none are likely to be broken up, a council document has revealed.

The ideas for the future of parish councils have been laid out in black and white as the second 12-week public consultation of Kirklees Council’s Community Governance Review looms.

Kirklees is the first council in the country to use new powers handed down by the Government to review parish council arrangements and local people in the parish and town council areas concerned were asked to comment on alternative options for the shape of their councils.

The review initiated by the then Tory-led council has been blasted as politically motivated by Labour MP Mary Creagh and top Green councillor, Andrew Newsome, but the initial results indicate changes will be limited to minor tweaks.

Options put to the council’s corporate governance and audit committee on Thursday recommended no changes for Mirfield Town Council or Denby Dale Parish Council and only minor boundary changes to Meltham Town Council, Kirkburton Parish Council and Holme Valley Parish Council.

The public consultation begins on February 16 and full proposals, maps and feedback forms will be available at www.kirklees.gov.uk/parishreview or at Huddersfield Public Library.Feedback forms will also be available from local libraries and parish/town council offices.

THE full list before the Kirklees Council Corporate Governance and Audit Committee is as follows:

MIRFIELD -

No changes.

DENBY DALE - Option 1 (preferred option) - No change.

Option 2 - Set up two new councils to replace the existing one – one based on Upper and Lower Denby, Birdsedge and High Flatts with one on the remainder of the Denby Dale Parish.

Option 3 - Set up six separate parishes for: Clayton West, Emley, Skelmanthorpe, Denby Dale, Upper and Lower Cumberworth, and finally Upper and Lower Denby, Birdsedge and High Flatts.

HOLME VALLEY -

Option 1 - No change.

Option 2 (preferred option): Transfer the existing part of Thurstonland village that is within the Holme Valley Parish Council area to Kirkburton Parish Council. This would require a minor change to Kirklees district ward boundaries with some electors moving from Holme Valley North to the Kirkburton ward.

KIRKBURTON -

Option 1 - No change.

Option 2 - Revise the number of councillors per ward as follows – one for Flockton, four each for Kirkburton and Kirkheaton and three each for Shelley, Shepley, Thurstonland-Farnlay Tyas with five for Lepton and two for Lepton-Upper Whitley.

Option 3: Replace the council with two separate councils – one based on the Shelley, Kirkburton, Shepley and Thurstonland and Farnley Tyas wards and the second covering Kirkheaton, Lepton, Lepton and Whitley Upper with Flockton.

Option 4 (not supported): Replace the existing council with two separate councils: one based on the present Shelley ward: and the second taking in the rest of the existing council area.

Option 5 (supported) - Irrespective of which option above is progressed minor boundary changes are proposed between Lepton and Lepton and Whitley Upper wards and to transfer the existing part of Thurstonland village that is in Holme Valley Parish Council area to Kirkburton Parish Council.

MELTHAM - Option 1 - No change to external boundary.

Option 2 - (supported) - Minor changes to boundary around Netherton-South Crosland. This would require a minor change to Kirklees district ward boundaries with some electors moving from Holme Valley North to Colne Valley and some to Crosland Moor and Netherton wards.