Calderdale Inside Out

In this episode:-

A listener asked us one simple question: is the council making money out of parking, and where does the money actually go? We uncover the policy from 2022 determined to get people out of their cars and the failed promise to deliver an Area Car Parking Strategy that supported delivery of that policy. And we also ask the question: is Calderdale Council breaking the law in how it spends that surplus?

The new Reform ad...

KEY NUMBERS IN BRIEF

£356,700 = Piece Hall surplus

£244,505 = New Calderdale Council borrowing

£450,000 = Calderdale Council SLA Grant

£3,684,505 = Total Piece Hall debt

When the council’s scrutiny committee met in January to consider the Piece Hall’s future funding the amount of surplus, the new council borrowing, and the record debt were not discussed.

At that meeting, the chair of the children and young people’s scr...

I love the Piece Hall. Growing up I sold copies of the Halifax Evening Courier outside the Westgate entrance. I was there when the ‘Multi-Coloured Swop Shop’ turned up complete with Keith Chegwin and Maggie Philbin. And I’ve watched it transform from down-at-heel Saturday market to a unique and much-loved gig venue. So, for me, this is a bitter-sweet investigation.

But loving the place doesn’t mean looking at...

During the local election campaign, you may have seen a rather flattering claim doing the rounds. Starting with local MP Josh Fenton Glynn the news was quickly shared by local election Labour candidates and Labour groups across Calderdale.

Calderdale, apparently, was one of the best places in England to raise a family.

Lovely news, you might think. And, on the face of it, exactly the sort of thing any council or political party would...

The battle over plans for a vast new wind farm on Walshaw Moor has intensified.

The developer has released its EIA Scoping Report for Calderdale Energy Park — a scheme of up to 41 turbines, plus battery storage, roads and cabling, spread across 2,352 hectares of moorland designated as SSSI, SAC and SPA.

At the same time, one of the UK’s leading peatland experts, Richard Lindsay of the University of East London, has used o...

The developers of the proposed Calderdale Energy Park have just released their scoping report — the first official step in the planning process for what could become one of England’s biggest onshore wind farms.

Their chosen site? Walshaw Moor — a protected blanket bog above Hebden Bridge. A place that stores carbon, regulates water flow, and plays a crucial role in protecting the Calder Valley from floods.

In our ne...

LISTEN TO THE PODCAST TO GET THE FULL STORY AND COMMENTARY FROM LOCAL GOVERNMENT EXPERT PROFESSOR COLIN COPUS

(photo credit: Folk and Honey)

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Hebden Bridge’s Trades Building is a cherished community icon. For decades it’s been home to the much-loved Trades Club, but recently revealed land-registry documents and newly filed party accounts confirm the build...

(This article is based on our latest podcast episode)

The Leader of Calderdale Council’s Liberal Democrat group has called on the Deputy Leader of the Council, Cllr Scott Patient, to step down from his post, following revelations about political influence over public consultation and officer communications.

Speaking in an interview for the Calderdale Inside Out podcast, Cllr Paul Bellenger said:

“He’s been hiding thi...

In this episode of Calderdale Inside Out we talk peat, flooding, and explore an alternative solution for windfarm development.

Walshaw Moor isn’t just any landscape. It’s part sponge, part carbon vault, part natural defence system. And it’s the proposed site of England’s largest onshore wind farm.

“If you destroy that Sphagnum carpet, you are left with bare peat. There’s nothing to stop the water j...

“We’re building windfarms to stop carbon emissions — by disturbing our best carbon store. It’s Kafkaesque.”— Dr Richard Lindsay

A Saudi-backed consortium wants to build one of the largest onshore windfarms in England. The proposed site? Walshaw Moor — a vast, windswept peatland above Hebden Bridge.

On paper, it looks like progress. Clean energy. Thousands of homes powered. Carbon saved.

What i...

Calderdale Council planning committee is about to vote on one of the UK’s largest battery storage schemes — 462 lithium-ion containers planned for a site near homes, schools, and a listed hotel.

The catch?
There’s no confirmed fire safety plan.

West Yorkshire Fire Service say the water supply isn’t enough. Experts warn of toxic smoke, firefighting delays, and the risk of approving before it’s safe.

In ...