Cost of living crisis among issues for debate at Calderdale Council

Party motions tabled for councillors to get their teeth into when the full Calderdale Council meets at Halifax Town Hall from 6pm on July 27, cover the three topics.

Labour’s Coun Roisin Cavanagh (Luddenden Foot) has tabled a motion which calls on the council, through Chief Executive Robin Tuddenham, to call on the Chancellor of the Exchequer, Nadhim Zawahi, to increase benefits in line with inflation, better those hardest hit, extend free school meal provision, stop deducting benefits at “unaffordable” rates and develop support mechanisms, for those struggling the most with rising prices and costs.

Coun George Robinson (Con, Hipperholme and Lightcliffe) has tabled a motion aiming to protect Calderdale green spaces following a number of incidents in which the council has had to remove unauthorised encampments on land owned by the authority, including seeking money from West Yorkshire’s Mayoral authority to introduce elements which would prevent them from being able to access some of the land and fully debating the issue at the council’s Place Scrutiny Board.

And Liberal Demorat group leader Coun James Baker (Warley) has tabled the first motion of the three due to be discussed, urging the council to request Mr Tuddenham writes to the relevant Cabinet office minister urging them to bring forward legislation to enable proportional representation to be used in General Elections, arguing it would produce stronger democracy, giving all votes equal value and seats won would match votes cast.