Calderdale parks recognised as among best in the country
Three parks have been successful in retaining the prestigious Green Flag Award
Hello and welcome to The Calderdale Lead.
I hope you’re all having a good weekend and aren’t too gutted that we’ll not be cheering on the Three Lions in the World Cup final tonight.
I have to say I was pretty nonplussed about last night’s ‘pointless’ bronze medal match… until we started scoring! It did leave me wondering what might have been though.
Anyway, in today’s edition, we’ve got news of THREE Calderdale parks which have been recognised as among the best in the UK. Find out which below.
Plus, a couple of nuggets in the Calderdale Digest.
So, on with the news…
Calderdale Digest
🚆Prep work is now underway on the £22.7 million access package for the new Elland Rail Station, and main works will begin this month, says the contractor.
In Elland, a new pedestrian and cycle bridge – crossing both the Calder and Hebble Navigation and the River Calder – will be constructed to provide direct connections between Park Road, Gas Works Lane, and Riverside Park.
Existing pedestrian routes and the canal towpath will be upgraded and a new children’s play area created, alongside a variety of landscaping works to improve the surrounding environment and public spaces.
And in West Vale, a second pedestrian and cycle bridge will be constructed to cross the River Calder, providing a new travel route between West Vale and Elland via the Calder and Hebble Navigation.
As well as this, a connection to the new bridge will be created from Stainland Road through a new access route parallel to the Black Brook.
The scheme – which was given the green light by planners in November 2024 – will create easier and safer connections between Elland town centre and wider areas and will support access to the planned new Elland Rail Station.
Earlier this year West Yorkshire Combined Authority leaders approved the investment pipeline for the long-awaited scheme.
🗑️ Calderdale’s main opposition group have hit back at new ruling group Reform’s claims that re-opening all the borough’s tips seven days a week comes at no cost to the taxpayer.
At the first Cabinet meeting of Calderdale Council’s municipal year earlier this week Leader of the Council, Cllr Dan Sutherland said his group, which won control of the authority in May’s local elections, had undertaken a “deep dive” into the new partnership agreement for delivery of waste services.
The council will partner with an established organisation as Calderdale Norse Ltd from August 1 and Cllr Sutherland said the “deep dive” had allowed his administration to accrue some additional benefits.
His colleague, Cabinet member for Public Services, Cllr Peter Hunt said this meant that ahead of Christmas waste and recycling centres – there are five, at Halifax, Brighouse, Todmorden, Sowerby Bridge and Elland – would all be re-opening seven days a week “at no additional cost to Council Tax payers.”
The previous Labour administration’s decision to keep all the centres open but on reduced hours, each closed one or two days a week but with at least one centre open every day, had been controversial.
Reform UK say one of the most frequent complaints they heard from residents was the tips not being open at “convenient times”, said Cllr Hunt.
But Labour, who said they had to make the changes to save money to help the council balance its books amid financial pressures, take issue with the claim there is no cost.
In a Facebook post, Calderdale Labour said Reform’s decision was a choice and one they were entitled to make but disputed the claim it comes without a cost.
Calderdale parks are some of best in UK after being given Green Flag status
By Andrew Greaves
Three of Calderdale’s beautiful parks have been successful in retaining the prestigious Green Flag Award – the international quality mark for parks and green spaces
Centre Vale Park in Todmorden, Manor Heath Park and Jungle Experience in Halifax, and the Shibden Estate, also in Halifax, have all been awarded Green Flag status.
The awards recognise the hard work of the Council teams that care for these green spaces, as well as the continued commitment and valuable contribution of dedicated local community groups and volunteers.
The parks impressed the judges with their excellent use of green space, well maintained facilities and high standards of safety and security.
Calderdale Council’s Cabinet Member for Public Services, Cllr Peter Hunt, said: “Our parks and green spaces are valuable places where we can enjoy activities such as walks, picnics, sports or child’s play.
“Ensuring these facilities are kept to a high standard is incredibly important to us, and I know a lot of hard work goes into making sure they’re well maintained, and available for everyone to enjoy.
“I’m delighted that three of our parks have been recognised with a Green Flag award. It’s a fantastic achievement and rewards the efforts of our staff and passionate volunteers that support our parks with tasks like maintenance, plant growing, events, repairs, safety assessments and much more.”
The Green Flag Award announcement comes just ahead of Love Parks Week, a national campaign which celebrates parks, green spaces and the dedicated volunteers and workers that look after them all year around.
Love Parks Week kicks off on Friday, July 24.
Calderdale Council is supporting the campaign and encouraging people to share their favourite Calderdale park on social media and to visit their local open space and enjoy the environment.
It’s also highlighting the work that goes into keeping parks clean and tidy and is asking people to support this work and help keep local parks free of litter and prevent issues like dog fouling.
That’s it for this edition, thanks for reading!
Don’t forget you can drop me a line on calderdale@thelead.uk if you’ve any tips, news stories or comments.
Until next time, enjoy the rest of the weekend!
Andrew