£5.1 million funding boost for new heating systems in four major Calderdale buildings including Halifax Borough Market

Calderdale Council’s Cabinet member for Resources, Coun Silvia Dacre, said the cash will be from the Government’s Public Sector Decarbonisation Scheme, and follows on from previous successful bids secured from that spending pot.

Low carbon heating systems will be installed at Brighouse Pool and Fitness Centre, Sowerby Bridge Pool and Fitness Centre, Halifax Borough Market and Halifax’s Victoria Theatre, she said.

Coun Dacre (Lab, Todmorden) said: “This builds on our excellent track record of securing significant external investment to support our journey to net zero carbon emissions.”

Previous schemes have seen improvements made using money won in bids to the scheme, including at Todmorden Sports Centre, which also houses a swimming pool.

Coun Dacre, reporting to a meeting of the full Calderdale Council, said there continues to be an ongoing focus on delivering essential works to keep services going in Calderdale while also reducing the authority’s carbon emissions wherever possible.

Aspects have also seen grant awards helping pay for the work.

Some examples of schemes being completed or progressed across the breadth of the council’s estate into the spring include replacement of Park Wood Crematorium’s flat roof at Elland to address ongoing water ingress and installation of controls in Brighouse Pool and Fitness Centre, partly funded by the Swimming Pools Support Fund, to improve energy efficiency.

Works have recently been completed at Sowerby Bridge Pool and Fitness Centre, which has already seen a five per cent reduction in energy use on the air handling units.

And works to Halifax Borough Market are also continuing, the impact of which is now becoming increasingly visible to all, attracting new businesses to the market, said Coun Dacre.

In terms of estate needing investment, priority-setting conversations with services were regularly undertaken and a schedule approved as part of the council’s capital investment strategy.

A programme of works is now being drawn up to deliver against the agreed priorities, primarily focusing on addressing health and safety issues, said Coun Dacre.