On 6 June 2024 Batley’s Memorial Gardens were the scene of 80th anniversary D-Day commemorations.
Of the Kirklees Council commemorative events, the Mayor, Councillor Nosheen Dad, said:
The 80th anniversary of the D-Day landings serves as a reminder that we should never forget those who fought and died to defend the freedoms and peace that we and other countries have today.
We owe an endless gratitude to the brave men, many who were just young soldiers, who displayed incredible courage, resilience, and camaraderie on 6 June, 1944.
As time passes, our veterans become fewer so we must ensure that their legacy and their stories live on through remembrance, commemoration, and learning.
Let us never forget their sacrifice and continue to honour their memory.
That was less than two months ago, when the nationwide spotlight was on commemorations, and it suited Kirklees Council and local officials to put on a show.
The Council website description of the Memorial Gardens, touting out their hiring for events at a charge of £55-£110 per day (and that’s a whole other debate around should this be a pleasure-ground), is:
Located above the Market Place in Batley Town Centre, the Memorial Garden is a small formal park with large memorial, flower beds and grassed areas.
Today I went to the Memorial Gardens and was confronted with weed-filled lawns, unkempt, overgrown and tatty flower beds running to seed, the gardens teaming with litter from vandalised bins and others which clearly had not been emptied recently, and the area overrun with rats.
Until recently, I’ve lived in Batley all my life, and I have never seen the Memorial Gardens in such a disgusting state. And I’ve since heard this shabby state of neglect is now normal.
Less than two months on from the commemorations, is this the legacy Kirklees Council thinks deserving for those men and women commemorated on Batley War Memorial? Is this what the Mayor meant by honouring their memory? Are the Memorial Gardens and the market estate a demonstration of the town’s civic pride? Is this what Kirklees Council thinks of Batley’s history and heritage? And is this what Batley has been reduced to under the stewardship of Huddersfield-centric Kirklees Council?
As a reminder to Kirklees Council, this is the history of the War Memorial and Memorial Gardens . This was when Batley Borough were in charge, and those running the town did have some pride in the area, invested in caring for public spaces and buildings and realised the positive wider impact it had both on the town’s reputation and the lives and attitudes of its inhabitants.
UPDATE
On 9 August 2024 I received the following response from Kirklees Council.
Hi Jane, the wet start to the summer, while ideal for ducks (and plant growth), has made it challenging for our teams to keep up with the level of growth in our green spaces but they are working their way around the district, it might just take them a little longer. 1/2
Thanks for bringing the disrespectful vandalism to the bin to our attention, we’ve passed it over to the team so they’re aware and can sort a repair. Thanks.
If you do see the Memorial Gardens falling into disrepair please report it to the Council.
Past To Present Genealogy 