Councillors have clashed over a lack of action over a ban on Chinese lanterns.
It is more than two years since members of Kirklees Council passed a vote to outlaw the use of the flying lanterns on council land.
But at a meeting of all councillors, Kirklees Green Party chief, Clr Andrew Cooper, lashed out, accusing council bosses of doing nothing to make the public aware of the ban or enforce the new by-law.
Technically, it is illegal to let off lanterns or fireworks in any public place.
But Clr Cooper said no signs had been installed at hot-spots such as Castle Hill and the ban had not been publicised at all by council officials.
Flying lanterns have been widely condemned as dangerous to wildlife, as they often land on farmland and end up in the food chain.
Farmers have reported that animals have had to be destroyed after parts of a lantern’s metal frame were broken up by farm machinery, finding their way into hay bales.
And some lanterns have even caused fires when the tea lights that propel them stay lit as they crash land in the countryside.
Clr Cooper’s call for action comes ahead of a likely surge in flying lanterns being released to mark New Year celebrations.
At the meeting, Clr Cooper challenged the Cabinet member responsible, Clr Naheed Mather, to name one thing that had been achieved since the vote on September 2, 2015.
“You’ve done nothing,” he said. “There’s been no publicity or work done on this in areas such as Castle Hill.”
Clr Mather said: “Officers have used their delegated authority under the power of the anti-social and policing act 2014.
“The council has applied this order using the power to make a public space protection order and in future intends to ban the release of both flying lanterns and balloons from all council land.
“We recognise the dangers to our environment and our wildlife.”
But Clr Cooper was unhappy with the response.
He said: “Would you agree with me that you’ve done nothing?
“There’s been no publicity from the council and there’s been no work on areas such as Castle Hill to alert people to the dangers of flying lanterns on wildlife, farm animals and horses.
“So actually the council has done nothing.”
He demanded: “Tell me one thing – one actual thing – that you’ve done on this motion.”
Clr Cooper did not get an answer.
