Kirklees Councillors move out of Crown Court Buildings

Crown Court Buildings

A time of big changes at Kirklees Council. We are re shaping ourselves into 'New Council'. That just doesn't mean a smaller council with less budget and less  staff but also a culture change as well. One way that this is being put in place is by moving all Councillors out of Crown Court Buildings which is opposite the Town Hall and conveniently next door to The County Pub. The new home for Councillors will be in Civic Centre 3 with Kirklees Directors and the Chief Executive. The 'them and us' seperation of Councillors and senior officers was highlighted in a recent external report in a negative light and this change is one way of addressing that issue.Packing boxes and seeing the building begin to empty you cant help thinking 'if only these walls could talk'. I know they would have a few interesting tales to tell!

Crown Court Buildings was refurbished around 20 years ago as Councillors offices, a couple of years before I was elected. When the first Green Cllr Nick Harvey was elected he wasn't given an office so he worked in the Members Lounge with its telly and comfy chairs. He reckoned he found out more there than being in an office anyway. Not only was there a Members Lounge but also a Members Library with a dedicated Librarian to help Councillors with research. Sadly this was very under utilised and the function and the member of staff went back into Huddersfield Library. The Members Lounge also disappeared and quite rightly became a large meeting room instead.

When I was elected in 1999 the Green Party Group of 3 finally got an office. It was possibly the smallest room in the building if you don't count ones containing a toilet. We later got allocated a space on the top floor on the same corridor as the Press Team lead then by David Bagley. They have been out of the building a few years now and there rooms were replaced by the Tory Group who we have shared the floor with us to this day. One of the great things about our office space was the balcony. I say 'balcony' it is more access to a flat roof space through a window. For a couple of years I quietly  grew vegetables on it and took pleasure in carrying bags of compost through Reception looking as shifty as possible. I'm sure they thought I was growing cannabis on the roof. It was great to sit out there in the summer between meetings. Other Kirklees officers will soon move into Crown Court Buildings, in the short term at least, but it will eventually be sold  off if a suitable buyer can be found.

So not just a new building but a new era for Kirklees Council. Moving people around is one thing but shifting the culture of an organisation is quite another. I am hopeful and optimistic, but that has always been a failing of mine.

My old roof garden on Crown Court Buildings - definitely no cannabis!

Access to 'the balcony' in the Green Group Room