Calderdale residents invited to take action on affordable rent in the Calder Valley

On February 12, Calder Valley Community Land Trust will host its first public meeting of 2024.

The event aims to bring the community together with representatives from Calderdale Council, the housing sector and those with front-line experience of homelessness to discuss how to establish an affordable rent.

At the public meeting, attendees will hear from a diverse range of speakers who will give their perspectives on the current challenge, causes and potential solutions.

They will also learn more about how they can influence change in this area and take individual action.

Simon Brearley, Chair of the Calder Valley Community Land Trust, said: “Affordable rent in the Calder Valley is a very real issue that is only getting worse as a result of the cost-of-living crisis.

"Sadly, we hear from people every week who are at risk of losing their rented home or who can't find affordable rented homes.

"As a charity, we’re working hard to create more affordable rented homes through a wide range of methods - but an issue like this needs coordinated action at all levels.

“Through this meeting, we want to bring together organisations and individuals from across Calderdale to look at the roles we all play and discuss how we can work better together to tackle this challenge.”

The meeting will begin at 7.30pm at Hebden Bridge Town Hall on Monday, February 12.

Speakers include:

• Dom Furby, former CEO of Smartmove (now part of Happy Days UK), who will discuss some of the financial barriers that make it hard to access private rented housing and share real-life examples
• Dr Tom Archer, Sheffield Hallam University, who will share research on the affordability of community led housing
• Nicola Kyser-Forrest and Cath Miller, Calderdale Council, who will share more about the housing picture across Calderdale and Council’s role within it

The public meeting is free to attend, and anyone is welcome.

For more information visit caldervalleyclt.org.uk/our-public-meetings

To find out more about the Calder Valley Community Land Trust visit caldervalleyclt.org.uk