Kirklees’ new mayor is Denby Dale Tory, Clr Jim Dodds.

At the annual Mayor Making ceremony at Huddersfield Parish Church, Clr Dodds said it was a “very proud day” for him and his wife Carol.

And he joked after Clr David Ridgway being the first Freemason to be mayor that he was the first “Scotsman with a Geordie accent” to hold the position.

Clr Dodds said during his mayoral year he wanted all councillors to dress smartly and warned councillors he would not accept any “cheap political point scoring”.

His chosen charity for the year will be the Royal British Legion.

Kirklees Council Mayor Making at Huddersfield Parish Church - New Mayor Cllr. Jim Dodds and Mayoress Carol Dodds.

He added: “I have produced a fund-raising calendar for the next 18 months which is to honour all those who have paid the ultimate sacrifice in serving the country, but especially those who have recently lost their lives in Afghanistan.”

His Mayoress will be his wife, Carol, and the couple will celebrate their golden wedding anniversary during his year of office.

The deputy mayor for 2016/17 is Golcar Lib Dem, Clr Christine Iredale.

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Clr Iredale was due to be mayor in 2012 but unfortunately lost her council seat just weeks before she was set to take the chains of office.

Departing mayor, Labour's Paul Kane, said the past 12 months had been “absolutely wonderful” and an “honour that would live with him for the rest of his life”.

And he signed off with a sharp warning about the “appalling” way that Kirklees and other northern councils were being treated by the Government, dubbing the cuts to funding as “pure unadulterated dogma”.

Kirklees Council Mayor Making at Huddersfield Parish Church - New Mayor Cllr. Jim Dodds and Mayoress Carol Dodds with Deputy Mayor Cllr. Christine Iredale and Consort Robert Iredale.

He said: “I dread to think what people of Kirklees will think of us when the cuts start to bite.”

Clr Kane raised £62,000 for Diabetes UK during his year as mayor.