The Kirklees cabinet committee for regeneration has approved an amount of funding to go towards the council’s wider strategy to create vibrant and attractive town centres in the district.

Batley West Councillor Shabir Pandor responded to this by commenting: “If the cabinet really believes in our town and village centres, then I would have thought that some of this money would have been spent in Birstall and Birkenshaw. I welcome the additional £9000 into Batley for the Carnival for Life Event, we have already managed to secure £8622, but I am very concerned that there is a lack of leadership within the Lib Dem Cabinet in planning for town centre support initiatives as we could have secured a better deal in the run up to celebrating centenary events.”

Cllr Pandor went on to say “If the Lib Dem cabinet is really serious about devolving more power and resources at an area committee level they must get more sharper, begin to think big and long term. If they don’t then area committees will fund things in advance of the Lib Dem cabinet who should be really be driving the strategy and let local area committees deliver what local people want. This is the third time the Lib Dem Cabinet have supported initiatives where my Area committee has already part funded an initiative, the other two occasions includes Jessops Park and CCTV in the Batley Cemetery - if this is to continue to happen then my Area Committee will be spending its money on things that would have happened anyway and we could have spent the money better on something else, the Lib Dem cabinet members must become more original, innovative and forward thinking.”

For further information please contact Councillor Shabir Pandor - Mobile: 0791 626 1595