MP slams Kirklees “contempt” for Dewsbury
05 February 2008
Dewsbury MP Shahid Malik has accused Kirklees Council leader Robert Light of "demonstrating a complete disregard for Dewsbury People". Last week the Labour MP called upon Kirklees Council to consider options that could bring more council jobs to Dewsbury with a view to assisting the regeneration of the town. But Councillor Robert Light said there would be no review of the situation, labelling the idea a "whim",Shahid said: "Such comments will be deeply disappointing for the thousands of Kirklees employees who travel to council offices in Huddersfield from the Dewsbury area each day. The right to jobs and regeneration for Dewsbury and its people may be a 'whim' to the Conservatives but I believe it is a fundamental right for local people and my job is to stand up for the rights of my constituents. Let us be clear we ought to have the same rights as Huddersfield and so it is not favours that I seek but simple fairness."
"Home working is not the answer. Whilst it may meet the needs of some for child care reasons, for the vast majority it means complete alienation from their colleagues and total separation from the wider work environment. I do not believe that a mass move to home working offers good value for employee, employer or tax payer."
"Moving Kirklees jobs to Dewsbury will give the town a much-needed boost, and I think it's nothing short of scandalous to dismiss the idea out of hand. Unless the Council agrees to at least a review local people will rightly interpret it as contempt for them."
"I want to work with Kirklees Council and others, pulling in the same direction to get the best for Dewsbury. If we do work together on this issue, then I'm positive that we can move in the right direction."
Dewsbury East Councillor Paul Kane agreed with the idea of a review: "The idea of a review just seems like commonsense. Dewsbury has lost out year on year to Huddersfield and Kirklees Council has too much more than it is currently doing."