Labour hope local lad can see off Reform UK threat in Skircoat by-election
Plus, tough punishment could see fly-tippers' cars crushed!
Hello and welcome to The Calderdale Lead!
It was a busy old weekend across Calderdale with so much going on. I was in Todmorden enjoying the last of the Folk Festival acts on Sunday.
In today’s edition, we’ve got an interview with Calderdale Labour deputy leader Coun Scott Patient ahead of tomorrow’s Skircoat by-election.
It’s quite a far-reaching chat which covers everything from the threat of Reform UK, the work his candidate Dave Mendes Da Costa is doing in the ward and why it’s going to take Labour longer than eight months to solve all the country’s problems.
Plus, we’ve got details of new harsher punishments - already being used by Calderdale Council - which could see vehicles belonging to fly-tippers seized and crushed.
(We’ve got a video below of the council crushing a car already!).
So, on with the news!
Boots on the ground key for Labour as they defend Skircoat seat
Labour are hoping local connections and hard work will help them see off the challenge from Reform UK in tomorrow’s Skircoat by-election.
Labour’s Dave Mendes Da Costa, who live in the ward, is one of five candidates standing in the by-election, caused by the resignation of Mike Barnes for personal reasons.
Speaking to The Calderdale Lead yesterday as all parties were getting ready for a big final push, Coun Scott Patient, deputy leader of the Calderdale Labour group, said sign on the doorstep had been good.
He said: “I think because we’ve got a really strong Labour team in Skircoat, they’re well-respected. Skircoat is a beautiful place. There’s actually not much wrong with the place part from some issues around speeding and anti-social behaviour. I think resident are quite happy with what we’re doing there.”
Reform sent shockwaves through the political establishment last week, winning 677 of around 1,600 seats contested across a clutch of mainly Tory-held councils last contested in 2021.
It also took control of eight county authorities and displaced Labour in the Runcorn and Helsby by-election, winning by just six votes to take its fifth parliamentary seat.
Despite the success last week, Coun Patient says Reform aren’t offering residents in Skircoat anything to hang their hat on.
He said: “We know some people are lured by the promise of Reform, but I think what Reform are offering locally is isn't very much when you look at the press and when you look at what the leaflets they put out. There seems to be a lot about bins but they don't really seem to be offering anything else and I think that kind of speaks volumes really.
“You can see with the tactics at national level, it’s very Trumpian in nature. It’s not looking up and seeing the billionaires and those that are preying on people’s fears and insecurities, it’s pointing down on the most vulnerable in society.
“Everyone knows its the rampant inequalities that are the main ills in society.”
Boots on the ground have been important in this by-election with Coun Patient keen to stress that Labour wasn’t taking former victories for granted.
He’s also sure people will see the work being done in Halifax and across Calderdale when making their decision, rather than listen to any noise surrounding the Labour Party in Government.
But he admits that people - including political rivals - do still look at decisions taken such as the axing of the winter fuel allowance for millions of pensioners.
He said: “The last 14 years in the UK have been really problematic, in terms of the austerity project and there’s a lot of people - the Greens and Reform included - jumping on us being in power for eight months and saying we’re no different.
“But they have to give us a chance to try and unpick this. I’m not an absolute ideologist who agrees with everything Labour has done nationally but I can see the absolute challenge they’ve got to put up with.
“As a councillor who every year has to set a balanced budget understands the need to sometimes make difficult decisions to protect the services and institutions that our residents hold dear.”
Council chiefs welcome new tougher fly-tipping punishments
Town hall chiefs in Calderdale have welcomed tough new measures to tackle fly-tipping in the borough.
Dealing with the problem of fly-tipping costs the council nearly £1m per year.
But now, new powers will see fly-tippers and criminal waste operators having their vehicles seized and crushed, new technology such as drones and mobile CCTV identifying vehicles used for fly-tipping, and jail sentences of up to five years for people who illegally transport waste in England.
The council dealt with more than 5,000 instances in 2023/24 alone and has always taken a tough line when it comes to dealing with those responsible.
It is one of a few councils to issue Fixed Penalty Notice (FPN) fines at the maximum amount of £1000 for fly-tipping offences, and uniquely has one dedicated team working on all aspects of fly-tipping – from lifting and shifting waste to gathering evidence, taking statements, reviewing CCTV footage and prosecuting offenders.
Cllr Danielle Durrans, Calderdale Council’s Cabinet Member for Public Services, said: “We have priorities for thriving towns and climate action, so in Calderdale we’ve been really stamping down on fly-tipping for the past few years.
“It’s not a victimless crime – it costs us all money and blights our beautiful Calderdale environment. We welcome the wider government support and have already seen first-hand how effective vehicle seizures and new technology can be in tackling fly-tipping.”
Residents can report fly-tipping online and get advice on how to dispose of their waste at https://new.calderdale.gov.uk/communities/clean-streets/fly-tipping
That’s it for the midweek edition of The Calderdale Lead.
I’ll be back in your inboxes on Sunday with another edition and don’t forget you can get in touch with me via email at calderdale@thelead.uk if there’s a story you think I should be taking a look at.
So, until Sunday…
Andrew