Slashing leadership costs and cutting union spend in line with council staffing levels are ideas put forward by the Kirklees Liberal Democrat group.
Among their budget amendments are spending and savings including cash for town centre improvements, museums and a replacement sports centre in the Spen Valley.
The party says it will not oppose Labour’s proposal to increase council tax by 1.95%.
Clr Nicola Turner, Lib Dem leader, said: “Whilst recognising the very difficult choices the council has to make this year, Kirklees Liberal Democrats believe it is vitally important that the council, whilst maintaining care and services for the vulnerable, protects its key universal services, such as libraries and museums, school crossing patrols, street cleaning and other environmental services as well safeguarding the areas civic and cultural life by investing in the area’s public buildings.
“Furthermore, if communities and volunteers are going to be asked to do more, the council must make sure it allocates resources to allow that to happen.
“The council also needs to plan further strategic investments to support economic growth across the borough. That is why we are proposing mirroring Combined Authority funding of £31.5m to the east of Huddersfield and in North Kirklees with £20.2m of council investment in the network to the west.”
Ideas include:
Cash for infrastructure investment at Lockwood Bar, Longroyd Bridge, a second river crossing in Milnsbridge and a new road into Slaithwaite created with construction starting from 2020;
£7m in Improvements for Huddersfield and Dewsbury Town Centres;
£2m for the Tolson Memorial Museum building repairs and £50k to fund a feasibility study exploring options for running cultural services;
£10m to replace Spenborough Pool and build a replacement Sports Hall at the Whitcliffe Mount site ;
Save £72,000 by cutting Cabinet posts and introducing a committee system;
Saving the Huddersfield and Dewsbury free town buses but introducing a 50p charge for those who do not qualify for free public transport;
Stopping the Kirklees Together Magazine to save £66k and maintaining grants for volunteer run community events such as Cleckheaton Folk Festival, Crown of Lights, Marsden Jazz Festival, Imbolc;
Reduce upper mileage rate from 62p per mile to 45p per mile and reduce TU representations in line with changes in council staffing levels, savings the council £100k p/a from 2016/17.
The amendment will be put before next Wednesday’s Budget council for debate.
