Independent councillor ‘humbled’ to serve Dewsbury West after Kirklees Council election victory

Tanisha Bramwell was one of five Independents who gained seats at Friday’s vote count, leaving Kirklees Council with no overall control, with former council leader Shabir Pandor and cabinet members Jackie Ramsay and Mussarat Pervaiz, formerly of Dewsbury West, being pushed out

The new Dewsbury West councillor, who was born and raised in the town, said: “This means absolutely everything. I am humbled by the faith that local people have put in me to give me their vote. I am excited and happy.

“This is where I was born, it is where I was raised, it is where the children in my life - my nieces and nephews - live, this is their hometown. I want them to be proud of something. It is everything to me, it is what motivates me.

“There is so much good in this area and it is so easy to look at the negatives but when you get to the root cause of the negatives it has always been about poor leadership and lack of funds.

"We have not had the leadership that we have needed. We have not had the support that we have needed.

“Now, this time, this year, things are going to change. Things are changing. I am so happy but it has also motivated me in a way that I thought I could never be motivated.”

On what she feels she can bring to her community, Coun Bramwell said:

“I have more power to do a lot more. I have to shout from the council chamber outside on a megaphone.

"They don’t let me in anymore. I am not allowed in. I have to deliver deputations every six months because of the constitution change that they did and it’s harder to advocate.

“Now, I have a platform. I have a title. I have earnt opportunities to help people in ways that I have never been able to. Where I have hit barriers, I won’t be hitting those barriers anymore.

"This will only compliment the work I have already been doing for the past ten years and excel it.”

Independent candidates had landslide victories in Batley East and West and Dewsbury South and West, and they narrowly gained the Heckmondwike seat from Coun Steve Hall.

In Batley West, Independent candidate Zahid Kahut took over 1,700 more votes than Mr Pandor.

Coun Bramwell said: “Independents that are coming in right now don’t need to tow any party line. They are local people who get to advocate for local people without having to ask permission. They get to do what they need to do for their local community and it will only benefit local lives and social needs.

“I am very happy. We have tried to have mainstream parties run our council and not only have we been failed, we have been neglected. Local people have had to empower local people. That is what this independent movement is.”

Asked how she felt when she realised she had been elected, she replied:

“When I realised we had done it, I took a deep breath and I backtracked in my mind to the ten weeks we campaigned for. It was like we were running for an MP seat. We have campaigned eight hours a day, seven days a week for the last ten weeks, on the doorsteps, at every event.

“At the same time we still ran the food bank, we were still doing the community work. Everyone has put in 110 per cent. It has been a team effort and everyone had a key role to play.

“We pulled out non-voters, who listened. They used their vote. I am very happy and it was a very proud moment when I realised what we had done.

“It was everything to me. This is the start of something new.”