New leaders sworn in for West Yorkshire councils

Two Reform UK council leaders have been officially sworn in at local authorities in West Yorkshire - although one council still has no leader elected.

It follows the local elections earlier this month when Reform swept to power in Calderdale and Wakefield and became the largest party at Kirklees Council, but fell short of a majority.

In Leeds, Labour lost its majority but will govern as a minority administration.

Meanwhile Kirklees Council was unable to elect a leader earlier, with voting postponed until next week due to certain parties abstaining.

In Wakefield, Reform swept away decades of Labour dominance, reducing its number of councillors from 48 down to just one.

Reform group leader Karl Johnson - a former Conservative councillor - was confirmed as leader of the authority with Councillor John Thomas as his deputy.

In a statement ahead of the ceremony he said: "The Wakefield district has suffered from years of decline.

"We're not going to make promises we can't keep, pretend we can sort everything out overnight or spend money that the council can't afford."

He also said he would implement a new leadership team communities can trust and key positions would be awarded based on skills and experience, not "politics and personalities".

Johnson said: "Once we've done that, we'll share some firm objectives that will be focused on delivery and getting the basics right."

One plan Johnson did announce during his first speech as leader was to "double the budget for road markings by repurposing some of the net zero money".

He said his party was also going to "undeclare the climate emergency" and said there were "better ways to support residents".

The Labour Mayor Maureen Tennant-King, who lost her seat in the local elections, also ended her year in the role and handed over to Reform councillor Brian Moorhouse.

Moorhouse was brought up in Ossett, where he was elected councillor, and worked at the Old Roundwood Colliery after leaving school at 15.

He has also worked as a bus conductor, factory worker and travelled the country as a tanker driver.

Moorhouse said it was an "honour" to serve as mayor and he was looking forward to the year ahead.

It was a similar picture over in Calderdale, where the council had been under Labour majority control since 2019 - and going into the election, Labour had a slim majority.

Reform UK now has a clear majority with 34 of the 54 seats, while Labour secured eight, Greens seven, Liberal Democrats two, Independents two and the Workers Party one, with the Conservatives losing all 11 seats.

Dan Sutherland, who had been group leader of Reform before the elections, has now been confirmed as council leader along with Paul Hawkaluk as deputy.

Ahead of the meeting, Reform had said one of its priorities would be to review the sale of the Shay Stadium.

Although Reform UK is the largest party at Kirklees Council with 29 out of the 69 seats, it falls short of a majority.

Though no leader was elected earlier, Green Party councillor Karen Allison, for Netherton and Newsome, was chosen as the new mayor.

During the ceremony, Allison acknowledged her beloved scouting group, including her troop of four and five-year-old Squirrels.

She said: "My passion in life is scouting… it is an absolute honour to announce that my chosen charity will be The Uniform Exchange, a charity that has supported more than 13,000 children across 182 schools in Kirklees.

"It has provided free school uniforms, coats, shoes and other essential clothing to families in need."

Her deputy mayor is Councillor Lee Konrad Cliff - the first time a Reform UK councillor has taken the post in Kirklees Council history.

Meanwhile, Leeds City Council did not see the dramatic shake-up witnessed in other chambers across West Yorkshire - in part because only a third of councillors were up for re-election.

Labour did lose its majority and now makes up 48 of the 99 seats at the authority. It will now govern as a minority administration.

Councillor James Lewis, who has led the authority since February 2021, was re-confirmed as leader.

Councillors Salma Arif and Mary Harland, both Labour, were confirmed as deputies after Jonathan Pryor lost his seat in Hyde Park and Headingley to the Green Party earlier this month.

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