No resting on laurels vows Calderdale Council leader after authority receives glowing report from local government experts

Calderdale Council is financially sound and has solid foundations on which to achieve aims which are also the right ones, according to a glowing assessment by local government experts.

It has made some bold decisions in recent years, including its role in helping regenerate Halifax’s Piece Hall, which have been “very wise choices” according to the report, and this means it is well-placed to use culture to drive Calderdale’s economy forward.

Investment in children’s homes, reducing the need for ultra-expensive out-of-area places for looked-after children is also paying off, and recognising the need to meet climate challenges is also the right move, say senior figures from other councils in the Local Government Association Corporate Peer Challenge.

But Calderdale, respected by partners in West Yorkshire Combined Authority, can afford to be bolder and could take more of a regional lead, says the report, compiled after borough-wide visits, conversations with different sectors of the community and councillors of varying political stripes.

Partnerships with voluntary, business and health sectors will be crucial going ahead as the authority looks to achieve goals of reducing inequalities, building strong and thriving towns and tackling climate challenges.

Welcoming the report, council leader Coun Jane Scullion, said attention was on the future, including jobs and economic growth, working with partners including Calderdale College,

"Whilst it’s fantastic to receive such feedback we cannot rest on our laurels, we’re ambitious for Calderdale.

“They said ‘we think you’re a good council’ – how can we be better, they make that challenge and talked about how do we step up a gear.

“They said we are sound financially and that is important in the context of the cuts. They also picked out the really sound foundations we have built over the last few years,” she said.

Peers had identified an institutional strength in that Calderdale’s employees were also mainly local residents and as such wanted to do the best job for their borough’s people they could, added Coun Scullion.

With a Year of Culture fast approaching to mark Calderdale’s 50th anniversary next year, and other major regional cultural events in Wakefield and Bradford following closely on, working with partners like the Piece Hall to use culture as an economic driver.

Coun Scullion said as well as helping transform town centres and empty shops it could help create a sense of place and belonging for Calderdale communities.

The council’s Chief Executive, Robin Tuddenham, said there was a modesty about Calderdale because it was a small borough but the time to be bold and be confident was now.

Referencing the report’s statement that “Calderdale Council is in a sound place financially compared to many councils, albeit with a lean amount of reserves”, Mr Tuddenham said: “It is important the finances are sound, that’s not a position every council can say.

"The Corporate Peer Challenge was a rigorous and timely examination of our work as a Council and in place. It’s really heartening and affirming to see recognition from the team, our staff, and partners of the impact of major decisions in recent years, and the role of our Vision 2024 during a challenging time for the sector.”

The review says the council should choose project partners “wisely”, and working with voluntary sector partners crucial.

Health and housing are two other challenges where choosing partnerships will be key, says the peer review, including working pro-actively with private investors, developers and other stakeholders in light of adoption of the Local Plan, and close working with health and care teams.

Coun Scullion (Lab, Luddenden Foot) agrees the council needs to be clever as it moves forward against a tight financial background for local government and likelihood that whoever is in power nationally there is not likely to be a lot of money coming into councils’ coffers.

Fewer staff and less resources means maximising resources to meet requirements of the public.

The review – headed by Chief Executive Peer Alison Griffin, of London Councils, and including member peers Coun Eamonn O’Brien, Labour leader of Bury Council, and Coun Rob Waltham, Conservative leader of North Lincolnshire Council – gives some indicators how this can be achieved, including aligning capital and revenue investment it has available more closely to strategic priority outcomes.

Mutual respect between councillors and officers is part of solid foundations and opportunities for more cross-party working should also be explored.

It should be more confident as an authority, including at regional level, where it is respected, and its priorities aligned with West Yorkshire Mayor Tracy Brabin’s, for example using culture as an economic driver.

“There is an opportunity for Calderdale Council to be bolder about its strategic asks, to have more confidence in its own positions and ambitions for its residents, businesses and communities when making the case in West Yorkshire,” says the report.

Coun Scullion said projects the council would undertake had to be of use with no room for “vanity” projects and with timing, costing and programming needing to be right an action plan was in place to achieve this.

She was grateful to her predecessor as leader, long-serving Coun Tim Swift (Lab, Town), now her deputy, leading the council while the foundations were laid.

The peer reviewers – who spoke to 160 people across 58 meetings and two tours of Calderdale over four days – felt the council was hiding its light under a bushel, said Coun Scullion.

It was not often councils were told to “be bolder” – but for Calderdale this was such a time, she said.

The peer reviewers will monitor progress in around six months time.

Although they are not compulsory, local authorities are expected to have peer reviews every five years or so.

Calderdale asked to have this peer review undertaken – Coun Scullion said it was important to have fresh eyes on what the council was doing and how it was performing.

Mr Tuddenham said it is important to see how the council is performing and improving – and how it can improve further.

Full details of the report published today can be found at: www.calderdale.gov.uk/cpc23