Anti-poverty plan on agenda as Calderdale Town Hall chiefs consider success of action
Key focus on supporting residents with cost of living pressures
Hello and welcome to The Calderdale Lead.
I hope you’ve all had a great week.
I cannot believe it’s December 1st tomorrow, this year seems to have absolutely flown by (although I have to say I’m suffering from a little festive fatigue already due to the supermarkets having their Christmas range in for the last six months… or so it seems!).
The change over of the months does mean that you’ve just got a few hours left to take advantage of the very special offer we have for November - a paid subscription for just £34.30 - that’s a 30% saving on the usual cost.
In today’s edition, we once again turn the focus t
Plus, the usual nuggets in our Calderdale Digest.
So, on with the news…
Calderdale Digest
🏠Councils will oversee new rules – which include fines ranging from £7,000 to £40,000 on landlords breaking the law – when new legislation giving renters more protection comes in next year.
The Renters’ Rights Act 2025 introduces significant reforms to enhance tenant protections, abolish no-fault evictions, and establish fairer rental practices in England, and is set to take effect from May 2026.
Responding to a question about whether Calderdale Council was ready to take on the responsibility, Cabinet member for Climate Action and Housing, Coun Scott Patient, said the “road map” for the roll out of the act has now been published
He added the council was working with Government and regional partners to ensure it was ready to enforce the new regulations.
⚽Senior Calderdale councillors have rebutted criticism of the consultation undertaken in the run up to their deciding to dispose of Halifax’s Shay Stadium.
This autumn the council confirmed that sale of the stadium - home to FC Halifax Town and the Halifax Panthers - to Huddersfield Giants’ owner Ken Davy would be getting under way after a period of time set aside for community-led alternatives to be tabled had expired.
Mr Davy wants to base his rugby league team at The Shay while seeking to develop a purpose-built stadium for Giants in Kirklees and came forward with an offer to buy the stadium a year ago.
In public question time at a meeting of the full Calderdale Council, one resident queried whether consultation into the council’s decision to divest itself of The Shay met appropriate standards.
Cabinet member for Resources, Coun Silvia Dacre, said: “he consultation provided for respondents to oppose any of the options for disposal by choosing ‘do not support’.
“The consultation also allowed for respondents to oppose any disposal or specific types of disposal in the ‘free text’ box.
“As has previously been stated, we are satisfied that the consultation did meet the Gunning Principles,.”
The Gunning Principles – which guide public consultations in the UK – state how a public consultation must be conducted.
Senior councillors to consider impact of Calderdale’s anti-poverty plan
By Andrew Greaves
Senior councillors in Calderdale are set to consider how successful their efforts have been to tackle poverty in the borough.
Members of the authority’s Cabinet are to be presented with the Anti-Poverty Annual Report and Action Plan 2025 at their meeting next Monday (December 8).
The plan was first produced in 2018 and has been updated each year to highlight key issues, as well as the work that has been undertaken and is planned across the borough.
The Anti-Poverty Action Plan has three key priorities:
Prevention: To prevent local residents from falling into poverty.
Intervention: To provide support to local residents who have fallen into poverty, to bring them back out of poverty.
Resilience: To provide local residents with the tools to help them stay out of poverty.
The Council has a longstanding commitment to work in partnership with statutory and voluntary sector partners and work is coordinated through the borough’s Anti-Poverty Partnership. The work of the partnership is informed by the action plan to ensure resources are directed where they will have the greatest impact.
The Annual Report highlights the partnership’s key achievements through the year, including details of the successful events programme. Two main events were held in April and September, collectively attended by over 200 people, supporting local organisations to find out more about specific areas of work to better support residents.
Efforts have continued this year to further develop content for the Money and Wellbeing webpages and cost of living campaign work. Support for frontline workers has also been expanded, with factsheets and regular newsletters and a growing base of Money Guiders, a national programme giving customer-facing staff the tools, confidence and knowledge to start conversations about money.
Work with families has been a particular strength over the last 12 months, with the Healthy Holidays Calderdale programme supporting children eligible for benefits-related free school meals, during the school holidays.
Based on 2025 Census data, around 60% of eligible families attended a Healthy Holidays session in summer 2025 – a 30% increase on 2024 and the highest reach in the country.
The Council works closely alongside partners and the wider community to make a meaningful difference to many people’s lives, helping them to alleviate financial pressures and access vital support services.
Calderdale Council’s Cabinet Member for Public Services and Communities, Cllr Danielle Durrans, said: “We understand the many challenges that residents are facing, with cost of living pressures and financial worries resulting in more people reaching crisis point.
“We’re committed to reducing inequalities in the borough and as part of the Anti-Poverty Partnership we provide a range of support, with over 30 partner agencies, to alleviate poverty.
“We continue to acknowledge the serious challenges in tackling the many issues brought on by poverty and the rising cost of living, but through our collective efforts we have made a meaningful difference for many people.
“The Annual Report is an opportunity to reflect on the good progress made in the last 12 months and identify where we can strengthen or expand work to reach the people who need our help most.”
If you require any support with the cost of living crisis, Calderdale Council’s Money and Wellbeing pages can be accessed by clicking here.
That’s it for this edition, thanks for reading.
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Until Wednesday, have a great week…
Andrew