Our Council Plan 2026/27 to 2028/29
Introductions
Our Council Plan marks an important moment for Kirklees. Over the past year, we've invested in new schools, better housing, cleaner streets, improved transport, and renewal in our town and village centres. Residents, businesses, and communities are beginning to see how this work is helping to shape a brighter future. This plan sets out how we will build on that progress over the coming years.
Alongside investment in our places, we've been transforming our services - finding better ways of working and, crucially, getting the basics right. In the years ahead, we will stay focused on ensuring residents understand what we do, feel well informed, and know they are listened to when things go wrong. We can't always provide everything people want, but we want every interaction with the council to feel constructive and positive.
There is more to do, both now and over the long term. That's why this year's Council Plan sets out a clear three year journey, made possible by the government's commitment to longer term financial settlements. While financial challenges remain for all councils, this stability allows us to plan more confidently with our partners and communities.
This plan sets out the action we will take to help everyone thrive, support the most vulnerable, and grow a strong local economy. It builds on real progress already underway and reflects our commitment to working alongside communities and partners to shape a brighter future for the people of Kirklees.
After several years of financial challenges, we have reached an important turning point in our responsibility to deliver reliable, quality services for people across the borough. Our finances are more stable thanks to our work to review our spend and decide our investments. As well as this, we have been transforming our services to make them more efficient, data led and customer focused services. When the Local Government Association (LGA) visited late last year, they celebrated our renewed stability, focus, and sense of momentum.
We are making significant progress, but demand and costs continue to rise in some areas due to the level of need in our communities. This is particularly true in children's and adults' services. This means we need to remain disciplined and realistic whilst still being forward looking.
In visiting services and places across the borough, I've seen teams taking responsibility for addressing financial challenges and supporting service improvement. Taking responsibility is fundamental to change. That's why it sits at the heart of the 'Our Council' principles set out in this Plan for the first time. These set out a framework for all of us over the coming years, building on what works and being honest about where we need to do better.
As well as service transformation, the sustainability of our services is supported by our longer-term regeneration plans. The investments we are continuing to make in our towns and neighbourhoods will make Kirklees an even better place to live, work, and invest for all. This will in turn create the conditions for prosperity, prevention, and reduced demand over time.
The next three years are therefore a period of opportunity and responsibility for Kirklees. This Council Plan sets out how we will balance meeting immediate needs with safeguarding our ability to serve Kirklees in the years ahead. Working together, we can face our challenges with confidence, take responsibility, and deliver better outcomes for the people and communities we serve.
