Mike Forster

I am a long-standing community campaigner and socialist in Huddersfield, best known as Chair of the Hands Off HRI campaign, which successfully pushed back management plans to close the hospital and A&E. The campaign was launched in 2016, continuing until 2020 when it was wound up during lockdown. During that time, we raised enough money to bring a successful legal challenge and had numerous lobbies, demonstrations and public fundraising gigs. Our success was down to the huge public support we attracted. The outcome was to not only save our hospital, but also to secure a brand new A&E! I played a prominent role in building solidarity across local unions and the community when Louise Lewis (Hunte), a union representative at North Huddersfield Trust School, was victimised and suspended from work for raising race discrimination and workplace concerns. The campaign was successful in securing Louise’s reinstatement, only then to be summarily dismissed by the Chair of Governors. Louise later won her tribunal claim against the school. I am now Chair of Kirklees ‘Stop the Cuts’, set up to fight the appalling Labour Council budget cuts, including trying to close Deighton Sports Centre. We saved several sports centres across Kirklees and also the two local specialist dementia care homes. We took out a legal challenge to save Deighton Sports Centre which was reprieved temporarily, but the Council to their shame later returned to execute the closure notice - depriving the community of a vital public resource. I am standing this year, because the Council has once again put up Council Tax by 4.99% and rents by 4.8% and imposed more cuts of £10m. We cannot go on like this and need elected councillors who will stand up and fight for local communities and services. My record speaks for itself.