Dewsbury politician criticises new “Welcome to Huddersfield” signs

Oct 20 2009 by Barry Gibson, Huddersfield Daily Examiner

Dewsbury politician criticises new “Welcome to Huddersfield” signs

MIRFIELD has declared “war” on Kirklees.

The Town Council has voted to erase the name of Kirklees from the Welcome to Mirfield signs on main roads on the edge of the town.

The move follows the Kirklees Council decision to fund new Welcome to Huddersfield signs for the town, rather than Kirklees.

Meanwhile, a Dewsbury politician has criticised the new Welcome to Huddersfield signs.

Kirklees Council’s Labour Cabinet has invested £12,000 on six new signs on main roads into the town.

They replace the unpopular Welcome to Kirklees signs.

But Simon Reevell, Conservative Parliamentary candidate for Dewsbury, criticised the spending.

He said: “At a time when Gordon Brown is trying to sell off anything that’s not nailed down to bail us out of his own financial crisis we see his Labour colleagues spending money on unnecessary projects such as these Huddersfield signs.”

Mr Reevell is standing for the Parliamentary seat of Dewsbury, which includes Mirfield, Kirkburton and Denby Dale.

The Mirfield Council decision was defended by Clr Martyn Bolt.

He said the Kirklees logo would be blacked out on four signs and replaced by the logos of local community groups, such as Round Table or Rotary, if they wished.

Clr Bolt said: “The move was prompted by the decision to fund the Welcome to Huddersfield signs.

“We plan to take things one stage further and remove the Kirklees name completely.

“The Mirfield signs were erected some years ago at the instigation of Mirfield Civic Society and the bill of several thousand pounds was met by the Town Council”.

Mr Reevell said he believed the council’s Cabinet is too focussed on Huddersfield.