2023 Kirklees Metropolitan Borough Council election

The Local Government Act 1972 created a two-tier system of metropolitan counties and districts covering Greater Manchester, Merseyside, South Yorkshire, Tyne and Wear, the West Midlands, and West Yorkshire starting in 1974. Kirklees was a district of the West Yorkshire metropolitan county.[2] The Local Government Act 1985 abolished the metropolitan counties, with metropolitan districts taking on most of their powers as metropolitan boroughs. The West Yorkshire Combined Authority was established in 2014 and began electing the mayor of West Yorkshire in 2021.[3]

Kirklees Council has generally been under no overall control or Labour control since its creation, with the Conservatives controlling the council between 1976 and 1979. Labour have been in control (with both majority and minority administrations) since 2018.[4] It is considered one of the most marginal councils in West Yorkshire.[5]

In the most recent council election in 2022 Labour regained overall control of the council, winning 14 seats (gaining two), the Conservatives won 5 seats (losing one), the Liberal Democrats won three seats, the Green Party won one seat and an independent candidate lost their seat.[6]

The seats that are up for election in 2023 were last contested in 2019, along with one additional seat in Ashbrow ward.[7] Of the seats contested, Labour hold 11, the Conservatives hold five, the Liberal Democrats hold four, the Green Party hold one and independent candidates hold three.[8]

The council elects its councillors in thirds, with a third being up for election every year for three years, with no election in the fourth year.[9] Councillors are elected via first-past-the-post voting, with each ward represented by three councillors, with one elected in each election year to serve a four-year term.

All registered electors (British, Irish, Commonwealth and European Union citizens) living in Kirklees aged 18 or over will be entitled to vote in the election. People who live at two addresses in different councils, such as university students with different term-time and holiday addresses, are entitled to be registered for and vote in elections in both local authorities. Voting in-person at polling stations will take place from 07:00 to 22:00 on election day, and voters will be able to apply for postal votes or proxy votes in advance of the election.

As a result of the Elections Act 2022 electors will, for the first time, be asked to provide photographic identification in order to cast their votes at the polling station.[10]