Calderdale Greens chief urges Reeves to ditch two-child benefit cap to help tackle poverty
Martin Hey says increase in Universal Credit and more houses for social rent is key
Hello and welcome to The Calderdale Lead!
I hope you’ve all had a good week this week and have been up to something fun this weekend.
Me? I watched my beloved Burnley snatch defeat from the jaws of at least a draw at West Ham yesterday. I guess, by now, I should have learned it comes with being a Burnley fan!
(There wasn’t much better news for any of you Halifax Town fans - a 1-0 home defeat to Hartlepool won’t have helped the mood).
Anyway, enough of that football talk!
In today’s edition, the leader of Calderdale’s Greens has urged the Chancellor Rachel Reeves to finally scrap the two-child benefits cap in a bid to tackle child poverty.
We’ve asked the leaders of various local political parties for their view on what Reeves can do to tackle child poverty as part of our campaign.
Plus, we’ve got some news in brief in our usual Calderdale Digest.
So, on with the news…
Calderdale Digest
🗺️ Around 20 per cent of micro areas in Calderdale are within the ten per cent most deprived areas nationally, Government figures show.
According to new Government data on deprived areas in England, figures show 20.16 per cent of lower super output areas in Calderdale are within the ten per cent most deprived.
LSOAs are each a sample of around 1,500 people.
This ranks Calderdale 37 out of 296 local authorities in terms of the number of LSOAs in the ten per cent most deprived nationally.
Stats show there are 26 deciles within Calderdale in the ten per cent of most deprived LSOAs.
These are mainly in Halifax wards, including Park, Town, Illingworth and Mixenden, Ovenden and Warley.
There are also a number of other deciles, including for example parts of Todmorden, rated just below being in the ten per cent most deprived LSOAs.
🏗️ Halifax MP Kate Dearden has celebrated Hargreaves Foundry’s crucial role in the Elizabeth Tower restoration project, after the project was announced as being awarded the People’s Choice Award by the Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA).
The restoration of the tower - better known as Big Ben - was nominated for the RIBA Stirling Prize, and went on to win the hearts and minds of the public through the People’s Choice vote.
Hargreaves Foundry played a crucial role in the creation of the roof tiles and it’s ‘HF’ stamp can be seen on the metalwork, cementing Halifax’s proud contribution to this impressive restoration for years to come.
And Ms Dearden said: “I’m incredibly proud of the Hargreaves team and their contribution to the Elizabeth Tower restoration. The People’s Choice Award is a real testament to the passion, skill, and craftsmanship that went into the project over five years.
“When I visited their site and met their dedicated local employees, I saw firsthand the expertise and commitment that made their role in this iconic restoration possible. It’s a brilliant example of the talent and heritage we have here in Halifax.”
The Lead is campaigning to end child poverty now. Before we get to today’s main Calderdale story, I just wanted to highlight a piece that Claire Miller did for our main edition this week which lays bare the startling figures that should shame us as a country.
It’s hard-hitting stuff and well worth 20 minutes of your time. Click below for the full story.
Greens urge Reeves to cut two-child cap and increase Universal Credit ahead of budget
By Andrew Greaves
The leader of Calderdale’s Green Party has urged the Chancellor Rachel Reeves to end the injustice of the two-child benefit cap in her Budget.
Cllr Martin Hey says the policy, which prevents parents from claiming child tax credit or universal credit for more than two children, is ‘cruel’ and any partial rollback will trigger further injustice.
The Calderdale Lead has reached out to a number of local political leaders to ask what they think Ms Reeves should do in her Budget this month to tackle child poverty.
As the story in our link above shows, child poverty is at a record high of 31%, which equates to 4.5 million children for the year to April 2024.
And Cllr Hey told The Calderdale Lead that beyond the scrapping of the two-child cap - which is the Green’s first priority - there are a number of other measures the Chancellor must take when she presents her Budget on November 26.
He said: “The Chancellor must take decisive and radical action now.
“We’re calling for an increase in Universal Credit to ensure that everyone has enough money to make it through the week. It’s also vital that the government commit to a huge increase in the supply of homes for social rent.
“At present a large percentage of benefit payments are simply being used to pay the rent, resulting in families having little to spend and nothing to save. We need to break that cycle.”
The Green’s have proposed a Wealth Tax which proposes an annual tax of 1% on assets above £10m and 2% on assets above £1bn.
And Cllr Hey believes that will provide the funds for what he calls an ‘urgent rebalancing’ of the country.
He said: “The Chancellor has to start thinking about what people in this country need rather than focusing on balancing the books.
“Those who lose their jobs unexpectedly or have to take leave due to caring demands or sickness deserve our help and neither they - nor their children should not be punished for a situation they didn’t create.”
Over the next few editions, in the lead up to Budget Day, we’re hoping to hear from the leaders of other political parties right here in Calderdale to see what they would do to tackle the problem of child poverty.
That’s it for this edition - thanks for reading.
Don’t forget you can get in touch with me if you have any story tip, comments or observations via email at calderdale@thelead.uk.
And if you want to help support the Calderdale Lead then we have a very special offer for November - a paid subscription for just £34.30 - that’s a 30% saving on the usual cost.
If you want to support the work we do then just click here.
Until Wednesday, have a great week…
Andrew