Wish you were here!

COUNCIL bosses in Kirklees are on the hunt for a new tourism chief to help boost the borough’s appeal to visitors and residents.

The role, for which recruitment is to begin in the next few weeks, comes with a salary of between £85,000 and £104,999.

The new job forms part of Kirklees Council’s recovery plan for the district’s cultural sector following years of under investment.

It has developed three strategies culture, heritage, tourism - to encourage residents to value what is on their doorstep and to spend leisure time exploring local culture and heritage activities.

A recent report revealed that Kirklees has not had a tourism strategy “for many years” and when it did the focus was on business tourism rather than leisure tourism.

The authority has also formally agreed to split one of its biggest directorates in two.

Acknowledging that the sheer weight of responsibility was too great to be shouldered by one individual, it has opted to “disestablish” the role of strategic director for economy and infrastructure.

The job was previously held by Karl Battersby, who has since left Kirklees for a new role at North Yorkshire

County Council. Mr Battersby had responsibility for all front-line environmental services, planning, regeneration and development functions, the capital programme and all council land and property assets.

That included managing tens of thousands of refuse collection.

In addition he was a spokesman for the council on issues as varied as the restructure of the borough’s museums and the furore over halal meat in Kirklees schools.

Council chief executive Jacqui Gedman said it was “too big for any one individual no matter how brilliant they were”.

The council has hired two new senior managers to take on Mr Battersby’s former responsibilities.

Colin Parr, formerly of Wolverhampton Council, is the strategic director for environment and climate change.

David Shepherd joins Kirklees after six years with Barnsley Council, where he was credited with helping reshape the town centre.

As strategic director for growth and regeneration his portfolio will include visitor economy, culture and tourism services, museums, galleries and markets.

The new post has been created with an “overtly commercial focus” in mind that includes the development of Huddersfield’s “Cultural Heart” town centre regeneration programme, which is part of the blueprint vision.