Councillors worry about financial black hole after collapse of Shay Stadium sale
Calderdale Council spent nearly £8m more than budgeted in last financial year
Hello and welcome to The Calderdale Lead.
I hope you’re all managing to survive this heatwave which is gripping the country. I have to say I’m not really built for this hot weather so the last few days have been a struggle!
Still, it’s apparently back to ‘normal’ next week whatever that means (probably cold temperatures and rain!).
In today’s edition, we’ve got a report from my LDR colleague John Greenwood who was Halifax Town Hall to witness a robust discussion over Calderdale Council’s finances.
Plus, we’ve a couple of nuggets in the Calderdale Digest.
So, on with the news…
Calderdale Digest
💨 A national institution – The National Trust – has stated its opposition to proposals to build a giant windfarm on West Yorkshire moorland.
The National Trust – a charity that owns and cares for old buildings and beautiful landscapes in the UK so everyone can visit them – has outlined its reasons for opposing Calderdale Energy Park.
Calderdale Energy Park (CEP) plans to put 34 giant wind turbines on Walshaw Moor, which is located between Hebden Bridge and Haworth, the village associated with the Bronte sisters.
The National Trust’s Hardcastle Crags estate site lies directly below Walshaw Moor,
The company says the turbines will generate enough low carbon electricity to power 198,000 homes a year.
But the proposals have met with strong resistance from campaigners concerned about potential damage to peatland and loss of moorland habitat which is home to birds.
Energy Secretary Ed Miliband will ultimately decide whether or not this controversial application is given the green light.
Campaigners against the proposals are also reminding people that due to a glitch on some literature which meant some responses were not received by the original June 10 deadline, an extended period to July 8 has been allowed for people to register their views on the proposals.
The National Trust said: “We believe that the current proposals would harm biodiversity and fragile habitats, leading to declines in species and the quality of this irreplaceable environment.
“The moorland also provides access to several public rights of way, national trails, and is a valued recreational resource for local urban communities and visitors coming to the area.
“Calderdale Energy Park’s proposals would lead to an increased risk to our protected landscapes and heritage, long-term environmental degradation, and a significant loss of public value and community benefit.
“The priority for this site should be its invaluable contribution it provides for nature and people in the South Pennines,” they said.
Campaigners Stop Calderdale Wind Farm are urging people about the extended deadline for people to register their views on the proposals.
“Anyone who didn’t receive an acknowledgement from Calderdale Energy Park after sending their submission is strongly advised to resubmit their response as it’s possible that the developer never received their original submission.
“And for anyone who missed the original deadline, the good news is that there’s still time to respond.
“This is the last opportunity for the public to have their say before Calderdale Energy Park submits its application for a Development Consent Order to the Government later this year,” says the group.
The correct email address for consultation responses is info@calderdaleenergypark.co.uk
🥵 Keeping cool to stay healthy is a hot topic amid this week’s heatwave, and a councillor wants to work with businesses to tackle it in his part of Calderdale.
In the winter months Calderdale Council has a set of “warm spaces” – such as libraries, for example – to help people fend off the cold.
Now Todmorden West Green Cllr Oscar Seville-Leach is campaigning to make sure local people can find “cool spaces” when the thermometer moves in the opposite direction, as in this week’s heatwave, which follows hard on the heels of one in May.
Council venues to keep cool in are limited in the upper Calder Valley, he says, and he and Todmorden West councillor colleagues are writing to local businesses asking for their help to keep local people safe in the high temperatures.
He said he also wants to see more action on the idea from the council.
Cllr Seville-Leach said: “Calderdale knows more than most the effects of climate change.
“From the 2015 Christmas floodings to the extreme heat we’re facing over the coming days it is more important than ever that we become more resilient to the worst effects of climate change.
“Whilst there has been a significant number of ‘warm spaces’ in Calderdale for the protection of people during the winter months there’s significantly fewer ‘cool spaces’ on offer during these scorching summer months.”
He said the upper valley and Todmorden is a place where most houses are poorly insulated – they are often older properties – which can cause issues with heat as well as cold.
Councillors clash over spending and Calderdale forced to tighten belts
By John Greenwood
Financial headaches including a hole in the budget left by the collapse of the sale of Halifax’s The Shay stadium are worrying councillors in Calderdale.
Calderdale councillors also clashed over funding arrangement for the Trust which runs Halifax’s historic Piece Hall, as they grappled with a challenging financial situation they agreed is ” very serious.”
The scrutiny councillors heard the council spent £7.9 million than budgeted for in 2025-26 and although a balanced budget had been set for 2026-27, further savings of £3.2 million in 2027-28 and ££7.6 million in 2028-29 would need to be found to balance the books.
Savings budgeted for will also have to be made, said finance officers.
Following the elections in which Reform UK took control of the council from Labour, new councillors were considering issues including impact on Council Tax levels, borrowing and debt, and the council’s cash reserves.
Cabinet member for Corporate Services, Assets and Resources, Cllr Mike Payne, said they were inheriting an over-run from last year of nearly £8 million.
Finance officers had said a lot of these pressures related to adults and children’s social care costs which were impacting a lot of councils.
But Cllr Payne said there were also holes in the budget relating to The Shay and The Piece Hall which could be added to that.
Labour Cllr Sarah Courtney had asked what impact the collapse of the controversial deal to sell The Shay, home to football’s FC Halifax Town and rugby league’s Halifax Panthers, to Huddersfield Giants owner Ken Davy – the decision to do this being subject to legal challenge from a group opposed to the sale – would have.
Director of Public Services, Ian Day, said the net cost of running The Shay was around £500,000 a year.
Cllr Payne said: “If we talk specifically about The Shay, that was regarded as a deal that had been completed – and there is nothing in the budget at all for next year to cover anything in The Shay and that includes capital expenditure which the stadium needs.
“There’s a deficit between revenue and expenditure of about half a million – that’s not in the budget at all so you can add those in straight away.”
Cllr Payne continued: “Neither is the expenditure of the grant for the Piece Hall, which was £1.2 million spread over five years.
“So there are figures that aren’t included in this budget.”
Earlier, Cllr Jay Shaban of Reform, noting that almost 48 per cent of the council’s revenue came from Council Tax in 2026-27, asked what Council Tax increase assumption had gone into that figure.
Officers said that was the full 4.99 per cent, including social care precepts, and Coun Shaban said later: “It’s concerning we are looking at a potential maximum rise without a referendum just to balance the budget for next year.”
Cllr Payne said the prediction of a £3.2 million deficit in 2027-28, and noting this also assumed a Council Tax rise of 4.99 per cent, gives an even bigger out-turn.
And also referencing The Shay and Piece Hall issues, he said: “It’s historic – we are inheriting a situation where there was nearly £8 million over-run on the budget and there are predictions of future over-runs as well in the next two years without those items of expenditure, capital and revenue put into the budget.
“This is a very serious situation that we face.”
Cllr Courtney challenged the assertion over the Piece Hall.
She said there had been an ongoing commitment that was in the budget for funding the Piece Hall through it’s service level agreement (SLA).
“I thought the £1.2 million over five years actually represented a reduction in what we have been giving to the Piece Hall through its SLA.
“The SLA, it isn’t just about giving them money, it’s about securing community use and also it’s our asset ultimately because it’s still owned by the council, it’s just on lease to the Piece Hall Trust.
“It’s in our interest to make sure that it is run properly and securely – my understanding is there was money in the budget for the Piece Hall because that had been an ongoing thing,” she said.
Members agreed with Overview and Scrutiny Committee Chair, Reform Cllr Mederic Payne, who suggested the SLA arrangements be reviewed.
Lib Dem Cllr Ashley Evans agreed on the budget situation: “There are serious problems – we’ve got to try and address them in the next 12 to 24 months, otherwise we are going to be in a very, very serious situation.”
Reform’s Cllr Tom Garnett asked if the deficits predicted for the next two years were due to the Government’s Fair Funding Review or other factors.
Officers said it was a combination of both – the Government’s three-year settlement offered some certainty for mid-term planning.
They had some good news for councillors in that Calderdale may potentially get back around £36 million from Government for some specific special educational needs and education (SEND) costs which have been a long-term issue for this council and many others.
But that would also leave £4 million of that £40 million SEND spend accumulated by the end of 2025-26 to be found and still uncertainty about future arrangements for these costs, although Government recognised there was an issue, officers said in response to a question from Reform Cllr Andrew Varley.
Answering a question from Cllr Mederic Payne about use of reserves, officers said they were at a level where they did not want them to go any lower and they should be increased, with budget provision made for £700,000 to go into them this year and £1 million in each of the next two years.
The trajectory was that spending had to be controlled, said officers.
That’s it for this edition, thanks for reading!
We’ll be back in your inboxes on Wednesday so keep an eye out for that. In the meantime, the email address for story tips, comments and observations is calderdale@thelead.uk.
Until next time, stay cool out there!
Andrew