Leeds local elections 2023: What the Morley Borough Independents promise as they about town's 'Mexit'

The Morley Borough Independents (MBIs) have urged voters in the town to back them again at this year’s local elections in Leeds. The MBIs, which was set up in 2004 as an alternative to the mainstream parties, is pointing to its track record in the area over the last two decades, as it pushes for support ahead of next week’s polls.

MBI group leader Robert Finnigan said his party had supported local schools, helped attract more investment and jobs, and fought against excessive development in Morley.

Speaking in a pre-election interview, Councillor Finnigan said: “Morley town centre has one of the lowest vacancy rates anywhere in West Yorkshire. It’s lower than the city centre.

“We do that because we put a lot of work into making sure the town centre is viable. That’s about free parking and it’s about helping new businesses wherever we can, whether it’s through the planning process or the licensing process.

“On Wesley Street (where Siegen Manor care home used to be) we’ll soon be getting our first new council houses in Morley since 1981, after a long campaign. We’re very proud of that and we’ve all worked very hard to try to ensure that happens and to finetune the (city) council’s ideas and proposals.”

The MBIs have a monopoly on Morley Town Council and are separately defending two of the six seats it holds on Leeds City Council. Senior party figures have long called for Morley to become independent of Leeds, with the MBIs arguing the town gets a rough deal from Civic Hall.

Historically, Morley did run its own affairs for more than half a century until the reorganisation of local government in the early 1970s. Although independence remains a long-term goal Councillor Finnigan said he was concentrating on voters’ more pressing concerns for now.

“I suspect in Morley if I could run a referendum, it would get an ‘out’ or a ‘Mexit’, or whatever you’d call it,” he said. “However, I think most local folk, despite that being a long term ambition, would want us to focus on those things we can influence. We’ve got a vibrant town council.

“Our job at this stage is making sure more power is delegated down to local levels. We don’t want to get into a position where we’re so chronically indulgent like the SNP (Scottish National Party) that all we bang on about is independence.

“We want to make sure that where we have influence, we make things work as efficiently as possible. We think we’re doing a good job.”

But gripes linger among Morley’s top brass about perceived overdevelopment in the town and a lack of policing. The MBIs say the town hasn’t had enough money from the community infrastructure levy (CIL) which developers pay to local authorities for new and improved facilities, so areas can cope with the impact of new homes.

Leeds’ Labour administration says Morley has missed out on some cash because it doesn’t have a neighbourhood plan – which allows communities to earmark sites for development. But they deny Morley has been unfairly targeted. But Councillor Finnigan is adamant it has.

“Everything has been built on,” he said. “Has it benefited the people of Morley by and large? No, because they’re struggling to get into their health centres and schools? Our position remains the same. We feel we’ve got a poor deal.

“It’s put an unnecessary strain on our schools, health centres and roads and little finance has been put aside to deal with the challenges.”

Councillor Finnigan also defended his own record over the last 12 months, during which he has not attended any of the meetings of the Leeds scrutiny board on which he sits. The MBI group chief dismissed the board as a “talking shop” and insisted his time was better spent working in Morley.

“If it’s a choice between a Morley priority and a scrutiny board then I choose Morley every time,” he said. “People here have not elected me to sit somewhere for two or three hours where I’ve no capacity to influence the outcome.

“It would be the worst case of gesture politics – turning up, gobbing off and having no impact whatsoever.”

MBIs in numbers

Current seats on Leeds City Council: 6/99 (4th largest party)

Number of candidates standing in 2023 local elections: 2 (out of 33 wards)

Year first MBI councillor elected in Leeds: 2004

MBI candidates standing in your area

Morley North – Robert Finnigan

Morley South – Wyn Kidger