The leader of Kirklees Council is stepping down to take a top job in London.
But what do people in Huddersfield think of the move by Clr Mehboob Khan, who is moving on after 17 years of being a councillor on Kirklees Council?
Has Mr Khan been a good councillor and leader for the people of Kirklees?
And what do they make of his decision to continue as Greenhead ward councillor for the foreseeable future?
Clr Khan, who has led the council for five years, will leave his post at the end of February to become a political advisor focusing on London boroughs.
He still intends to fulfil his position as a Greenhead ward councillor at the same time, communicating by phone and online with the council and his constituents.
ROMA SCHOOLER, 74,retired, of Golcar
“If he is planning on continuing to work for the Kirklees area then he should be based in Huddersfield.
“I’m a bit dubious as to how somebody can be an effective councillor without being physically present. It would suggest that one or both of his duties will potentially suffer from the split of his time.”
TRISHA ATKINSON, 66, retired, of Salendine Nook,
“He’s done some commendable things. We should give him credit for the work in Greenhead Park but I think he has wasted a lot of time and money on other areas. It is a little disappointing that he feels the members of his ward who elected him only deserve two days of his time.”
JOHN CHAN, 66, retired, of Fartown
“I like Clr Khan, I think he’s done a good job. People complain about Kirklees but they have nothing to compare it to. Some of the councils I have seen down South aren’t doing as much as Khan is doing for Huddersfield. He should be able to follow his ambitions without being penalised.”
STEVEN KNIGHT, 60, council worker, of Oakes
“Clr Khan doesn’t deserve his position in Huddersfield or his new position in London. He should be ousted altogether. A couple of years ago he spent £2,000 of public money on private phone calls, then he was claiming ridiculous amounts of expenses outside of the Kirklees area. He avoids questions that he doesn’t want to answer and it is all about the money rather than helping the people of Huddersfield.”
ABDUL REHMAN, 52, bus driver, of Huddersfield
“He’s been a successful leader of the council here. I think it’s good that he wants to stay involved with the town even though he has duties elsewhere.”
JULIE LIMB, 50, teacher, of Fenay Bridge
“He needs to be fully based in Huddersfield if he still has involvement in the town. If he’s in London, he’s not accessible. Communicating by phone and email just isn’t enough, people need to be able to speak to him directly. I suppose time will tell whether he is best suited to his role in London or here.”
IAIN ROSS, 22, Tesco worker, of Huddersfield
“It’s good that regional council leaders go to London. Hilary Benn is a great central Government Labour minister but his constituency is in Leeds so he links the two cities together and supports development in both. He has a right to pursue his personal career choices.”
HOLLIE UNDERWOOD, 20, student, of Huddersfield
“If he is working in London during the week and supporting the Greenhead ward at weekend, when is he planning on having time to himself? Sounds like he’s got too many fingers in too many pies and he should be putting his efforts into making a difference in one area rather than taking on too much.”
Senior Labour councillors are planning urgent talks to decide who should be the next leader of Kirklees Council.
They will discuss who succeeds Mehboob Khan, who announced this week he is to take up a new job in London.
Clr Khan will leave his role as at the end of February for a post with the Local Government Association.
He said he intends to carry on as a councillor for Greenhead but will discuss with Labour officials for how long.
Meanwhile, the former leader of Kirklees Council has criticised Clr Khan’s tenure.
Conservative Clr Robert Light (Birstall and Birkenshaw) said: “When Clr Khan took over the leadership of Kirklees in 2009 he inherited a four-star accredited council, which had just been voted Council of the Year and was widely recognised as one of the leading councils in the country.
“Five years later he leaves a council in chaos, with staff morale at an all-time low, services reduced and council officers left weary from the effects of his weak and indecisive leadership.
“He has been involved in an ongoing series of controversies which have dogged the council and tarnished the reputation of Kirklees.
“His successor will face a major issue of how to rebuild internal and external confidence in the council”.
