Labour to choose four new Kirklees Cabinet members

Jul 24 2009 by Barry Gibson, Huddersfield Daily Examiner

LABOUR councillors will meet next week to decide who will fill top posts at Kirklees Council.

Four places on the council’s Cabinet are up for grabs after the Lib Dems decided to leave the nine-strong ruling body.

The Examiner understands that two councillors from Huddersfield and two from Batley are in line for promotion.

Labour currently has five seats on the Cabinet and the Lib Dems four.

However, this week the Lib Dems announced they will leave the Cabinet on July 29.

Labour, which has 22 of the 69 councillors, will run Kirklees alone – but with the support of the 19 Lib Dem councillors.

Labour’s councillors will meet in Huddersfield on Monday to elect four people to replace the Lib Dem Cabinet members.

The Examiner understands that names in the frame include Clr Peter McBride of Dalton. The veteran politician from Fixby is the only current Kirklees councillor who served on Huddersfield Borough Council, which was abolished in 1974.

Clr Cath Harris of Ashbrow is also in line for promotion. The former teacher, who lives in Fartown, was first elected to Kirklees in 2007.

Other councillors tipped for Cabinet posts are Clr Peter O’Neill of Batley West and Clr Mary Harkin on Batley East.

The 22 Labour councillors will choose four people, with group leader Clr Mehboob Khan deciding who should get which portfolio. The candidates will then be nominated for election at the monthly meeting of all 69 Kirklees councillors on Wednesday.