Greens come out fighting ahead of Calderdale ward by-election
Plus, Halifax Town secure National League play-off spot
Hello and welcome to the Sunday edition of The Calderdale Lead!
I hope you’ve had a cracking week as April starts drawing to a close and you’re looking forward to May starting with ANOTHER bank holiday!
In this edition the Skircoat by-election is hotting up with Greens going on the attack as we enter the last week or so before the vote.
Plus, there’s delight at The Shay as Halifax Town finally secure their spot in the National League play-offs.
So, on with the news…
Greens urge voters to ‘stand up for those living in poverty’ ahead of Skircoat by-election
The Calderdale Green Party have stepped up their campaigning ahead of the Skirtcoat by-election.
Party leader Cllr Martin Hey says candidate Roseanne Sweeney has been getting a positive response on the doorstep.
The Skircoat seat has become available following the decision by Labour’s Mike Barnes to step down.
And Cllr Hey says people are fed up of the two-party system and senses an opportunity for his party.
Yesterday he launched a stinging attack on the Labour Party and Halifax MP Kate Dearden, who has been inviting residents to share experiences of living in poverty.
He said: “Our Labour MP is inviting residents to come to a surgery to discuss "heart-breaking stories" of poverty caused by 15 years of Conservative Government. However, there’s no mention of the thousands of Halifax people who are affected by the cruel cutbacks imposed by the current Labour Government.
“Scrapping the two-child benefit cap would lift more than half a million children out of poverty across the country, but Labour MPs have voted to keep it. Changes to disability benefits announced by the Chancellor in March, aimed at saving £5 billion annually, amount to the biggest cut in welfare since 2015.
“And Labour-controlled Calderdale Council has joined in, imposing a 60% increase in Council Tax on its most disadvantaged residents. The Green Party has opposed all these policies and is committed to reducing inequality in Halifax and across the UK.
“People in Halifax deserve better -and the Skircoat by-election is a chance for residents in Copley and Skircoat to Vote Green and send a positive message that they want to protect those living in poverty locally and nationally."
The Skircoat by-election looks set to be hotly-contested with five candidates on the ballot paper.
Labour’s Dave Mendes da Costa is hoping to retain the seat while Vishal Gupta will fight the seat for the Conservatives. The Lib Dems are fielding former Skircoat councillor Stephen Gow - who represented the ward between 2007 and 2011 - and Paul Hawkaluk is the Reform UK candidate.
The by-election will be held on May 8.
Shaymen secure play-off place with 1-0 win
A 1-0 win over strugglers Baintree Town was enough to secure a National League play-off place for Halifax Town yesterday.
A late header from defender Adam Senior helped Chris Millington’s side to all three points at The Shay and means they go into next week’s final game at Wealdstone knowing that promotion to the football league is still on the agenda.
Millington admitted he was relieved to finally cement a place in the top seven.
He told the Halifax Courier post-match: “It is a relief to do it and I'm pleased we've done it at home because the away fans have had a lot to cheer this year - we've got the second best away record in the division and we are very, very good away from home - but we've struggled at home.
"We've struggled with the pitch, we've struggled with the atmosphere, it's not always been the prettiest at home so I'm glad the home fans have witnessed us securing a play-off place because it gives them something to celebrate and something to get behind should we do well enough to get a home tie."
That’s it for this edition of The Calderdale Lead.
As ever, if there’s something you think we should be following up on, feel free to drop me a line on calderdale@thelead.uk.
Enjoy the rest of the week and we’ll be back in your inboxes on Wednesday!
Andrew