Saturday, 13 December 2025
News from Calderdale
Report of the Calderdale Council meeting of 26 November from Cllr Jonathan Timbers.
I have tried to keep this as short as possible. Apologies for the delay in putting it together. Do contact me by email if you have any specific questions. Councillor.JTimbers@calderdale.gov.uk
Flag flying: There was a discussion about the flag flying policy on civic buildings. This morphed flag flying on public lamp posts. There were strong feelings that such behaviour with a marker of territory and intimidated ethnic minority residents. This was denied by the one Reform councillor who was present at the meeting. This was obviously something for a different day and the policy was passed unamended.
Three year settlement: Cllr Scullion, the leader of Calderdale council, reported that the Government had now provided details of a three-year integrated settlement for West Yorkshire Combined Authority. This will allow us to forward plan more efficiently.
Tourist Tax: There needs to be further discussions about how a West Yorkshire tourist tax will be used in West Yorkshire and if it can be modified by area. The tax will fall on people staying in hotels.
The question of allocations to Calderdale of receipts from tourist tax arises. How much or what proportion of the tax would we be awarded in Calderdale?
Calderdale has a very high proportion of day visitors but needs to do further work on encouraging whole weekend visitors.
On 15th December 2025 we will find out more from the government about the local government settlement.
Flood Summit: Cllr Scullion chaired a flood summit. It is now almost 10 years since Hebden Bridge centre went under water after we were hit by storm Eva. The whole of the borough has been shaped by that traumatic experience. Other boroughs, including those down south which are experiencing more flooding events now, can learn from what we went through.
We clearly need both hard defences like walls and also soft defences such as leaky dams. We should remember the huge community response to the floods that helped many people manage the trauma and destruction flooding.
Care Quality Commission inspection: Councillor Tremayne from Todmorden, who is the portfolio holder for adult health and social care, reported on the recent CQC inspection. This rated Calderdale as good and makes us one of the better local authorities in West Yorkshire.
Nevertheless, concerns remain. I have put it to both Councillor Tremayne and senior officers on at Adult Health and Social Care scrutiny committee that there are improvements needed in some areas, especially for unpaid carers.
Broadband Coverage: Councillor Sara Coutney from Calder ward, the portfolio holder for Regeneration and Transport, reported on Calderdale's full fibre broadband coverage. Since mid 2024, this has shot up from 24% to 79%. This has meant disruption as cables were laid but the positive effects on Calderdale are likely to be substantial.
Hebden Bridge Flood Alleviation Scheme: Cllr Ahmed asked a question about the Hebden Bridge Flood Alleviation scheme, stressing the importance for getting it right for Hebden Bridge (see his FB page for the clip). Cllr Patient responded saying that it was ten years since the devastating 2015 floods, which many of us will remember vividly. There has been substantial consultation since then with over 71 events and a drop-in facility open two days a week. Uncertainty can cause fear but once work commences, resilience will increase. The Environment Agency with help from Calderdale Council is looking for an alternative site to Calder Holmes Park. Hebden Bridge will still have a strong offer for tourists. It is important to talk up the town as misinformation and negativity may impact on trade.
Special Needs Pupils: Cllr Wilkinson talked about the plans to open a new special school in Calderdale, offering 200 places. This will sit alongside improved Special Educational Needs (SEND) hubs in mainstream settings, encouraging inclusive practice in schools. In 2027/28 central government will take local authority SEND spending currently covered by the statutory override (meaning that it doesn't appear in our accounts – if it did Calderdale and almost all other councils in England would go bankrupt). The new school will both save your money by reducing the number of out of Borough placements and ensure that the rights of children with SEND are better respected because more can be educated in our education system as near as possible to home.
Renters Rights Cllr Prashad asked if Calderdale would be ready to to support renters rights under the new government legislation. Cllr Patient said that the council had a roadmap for this and would be ready. Landlord penalties will be proportionate and fair.
Windfarm: The Tories wanted to know why their motion on no windfarms on peat farms had been ruled out by Calderdale's legal officer. Cllr Scullion explained that it would seem to predetermine Calderdale's response to the windfarm proposals on Walshaw moor and therefore undermine the credibility of our response with the Planning Inspectorate ( who will determine the application).
Unpaid Carers: There was a motion on unpaid carers from the Liberal Democrat group. It is worth watching Cllr Prashad's speech where she talks about her experience as an unpaid carer. I have my own experiences but nothing like hers. Unfortunately, her experiences will resonate with many of us. Calderdale has a good rating from the Care Quality Commission for its Adult and Health Services but this is an area where improvements need to be made. The Care Quality Commission noted that many unpaid carers feel 'isolated and unsupported' ( feel familiar? It was for me). Having said that, Calderdale is one of the better council's in the region for adult health and social care.
Young carers: Cllr Wilkinson said that Calderale is providing a young carers respite service. There are 570 young carers ( from age 8 upwards) known to Calderdale, with demand increasing year on year.
Child Poverty: Finally, there was a motion on Child Poverty. Councillor Durrans spoke movingly about her experience of growing up in poverty in Mixenden.
Before the motion was taken, Councillor Scullion asked the council to agree to an amendment asking the government to remove the two child cap. The Labour Government had removed the cap that day in the Budget, so we voted to remove that proposal from the motion.
The fact that there are children going hungry in Calderdale, and a report of a five year old going round door to door begging for food, is a sad comment on the unequal state of our rich but unhappy society.
Cllr Kingstone made the point that while Reform fuels resentment against immigrants and their descendants in our communities, what we need is a plan to tackle poverty. Councillor Wilkinson said that we had made a start by protecting our childcare centres in Calderdale. Our healthy holidays programme was the best in West Yorkshire.
The council agreed there was more to do and passed the motion.
See webcast of the Council meeting
Councillor Jonathan Timbers
Labour Councillor for Calder Ward, covering Hebden Bridge
Previously, on the HebWeb
News from Calderdale: Report of the September Calderdale Council meeting from Cllr Jonathan Timbers.