Kirklees Council has a new leader after the ruling Labour group came together to give its backing to Batley councillor Shabir Pandor.

His endorsement comes just two years after an internal party putsch that saw long-serving Heckmondwike councillor David Sheard ditched as council leader.

However in 2016 Clr Pandor failed to secure sufficient votes to become leader amidst strong opposition from rival parties.

And whilst Labour’s newly-won majority and its cessation of in-fighting secured his position this time, it was against a chorus of concern from other parties.

Clr Pandor, who has been deputy leader for the last two years, said the challenges facing the authority were significant, including cuts totalling £197m and another £44m over the next two years.

“I still feel that the impact of those cuts have not been felt, so we need to work together to face those challenges.

Balancing the books is important – that we don’t go into the red and we work on a cross-party basis.

“Balancing the books is important – that we don’t go into the red and we work on a cross-party basis.

“We have a lack of affordable housing. Growth is not what it should be. Infrastructure is a massive issue as well.

“Devolution is also a massive issue. People don’t understand what devolution is all about.”

And in terms of reflecting the borough’s diverse community he said he wanted Kirklees Council to address issues of fairness, equality and respect and to be the best council by 2020.

Kirklees Council Conservative member David Hall.

In the light of the huge weight of responsibility facing Clr Pandor, Conservative leader Clr David Hall urged him to be up-front with the programme he hoped to deliver, and warned against slipping into partisanship.

“Are we to suppose that there will be no change in direction for the council and that things will continue as they are: no change in policy, no change in direction?

“We need the confidence that his term of office will not be conducted according to any personal debts that have to be paid because he’s not only answerable to his own party. He needs to show that he will act as a figurehead and an exemplar.”

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Liberal Democrat group leader Clr John Lawson reminded Clr Pandor of Kirklees’ crumbling infrastructure, half-empty town centres, struggling businesses, a crisis in children’s safeguarding services, looming strike action and “a plague of potholes” .

He added: “These are the things that the residents are worried about. Yet the only reaction we seem to have had from the Labour administration over the past few years is political posturing and inactivity on many fronts.

“Before this group can endorse his candidacy he’ll need to show that he has got the mettle to put the interests of the borough above the interests of his own party.”

Green leader Clr Andrew Cooper urged Labour colleagues against reverting to “factory settings” given their majority, and warned, “That way goes nowhere.”

And he exhorted Clr Pandor to surround himself with people of integrity, good judgement and intelligence.

He added: “You can imagine the voices in our Labour Group saying: ‘Now we have a majority we can do what we want.’

“We need a masterplan of some sort to take us forward. We need to see a programme which will show us the direction a leader will lead us in. We haven’t seen that yet and we need to see it soon.”