Here is a summary of the upcoming Calderdale Council meeting. Councillors will discuss a range of topics, including a review of polling districts, violence against women and girls, and the possibility of fracking in the region. They will also consider motions related to littering, 'buy now pay later' schemes, and road safety outside schools.

Tackling Violence Against Women and Girls

A motion is to be put forward by Councillor Danielle Durrans, Cabinet Member for Public Services and Communities, regarding tackling violence against women and girls (VAWG) in Calderdale. The motion notes with deep sadness the recent tragic murder of a young woman in Calderdale, allegedly by a former partner, and extends condolences to her family and community.

The motion highlights several statistics, including:

• An estimated 1 in 4 women experience domestic abuse in their lifetime.
• Women and girls from minority communities face increased risks.
• One woman per week is killed by a male partner or ex-partner on average.
• Domestic abuse costs the public purse an estimated £78 billion per year.
• Police-recorded VAWG rose by 37% between 2018/19 and 2022/23.
• In Calderdale, 4,626 incidents of domestic abuse were reported to the police in 2017–18.

The motion also acknowledges the work already undertaken locally, including the council's strategy and delivery plan on the Safety of Women and Girls (SOWG), and the inclusion of safety commitments in commissioning and contracts. It also recognises the leadership of Tracy Brabin, Mayor of West Yorkshire, and Alison Lowe, Deputy Mayor for Policing and Crime, including the West Yorkshire Safety of Women and Girls Strategy, the #JustDont campaign against street harassment, and the launch of the Women's Safety Unit.

The council is being asked to reaffirm its commitment to tackling VAWG as a local priority, and to appoint a councillor as a VAWG Advocate, to champion this agenda, amplify survivors' voices, hold the council to account, and present a report to the Place Scrutiny Board when it sits as the Crime and Disorder Committee.

The motion requests that the Cabinet:

• Review the council's current partnership strategy on women's safety in light of the recent tragedy, identifying any gaps or areas for improvement.
• Write to the government to urge increased and sustained funding for specialist VAWG services, including refuges, community-based support, and perpetrator programmes, and to strengthen prevention work in schools and youth settings.

Grooming Gangs Inquiry

Councillors are scheduled to discuss a motion relating to the national inquiry into grooming gangs following the findings of the Casey Report¹. The original motion, submitted by Councillor Howard Blagbrough, Leader of the Conservative and Unionists Group, proposed forming an Inquiry Oversight Committee responsible for Calderdale Council's engagement with the Public Inquiry.

An amendment to the motion, proposed by Councillor Adam Wilkinson, Cabinet Member for Children and Young People's Services, suggests that effective and detailed scrutiny of the council's engagement with the inquiry should instead take place via the Children and Young People's Scrutiny Board, which sets its own work plan and contains several co-opted independent members, as well as nine councillors that reflect a cross-party political balance.

The amended motion also proposes that the Director of Children and Young People's Services should email all members with a briefing update as soon as practicably possible, to deal quickly with the dissemination of information assessed as being urgent.

Cleaner Calderdale

Councillor Blagbrough is also scheduled to put forward a motion regarding a 'Cleaner Calderdale'. The motion notes that littering and fly-tipping have increased, and the maintenance of green spaces has deteriorated in Calderdale. It also wishes to place on record its thanks to local residents and community groups who give up their time and energy to help keep Calderdale clean and tidy, and to council officers in the Greener and Environmental Teams.

The motion believes that a cleaner environment improves public health and fosters civic pride, and that the decision to reduce the number of bins across Calderdale has contributed to increased levels of litter in public spaces. It also believes that the No Mow May policy has led to the deterioration in the appearance of green public spaces.

The council is being asked to resolve to:

• Increase the number of public litter bins across Calderdale and the frequency they are collected.
• Write to the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government and request additional ringfenced funding to tackle fly tipping and littering to better manage our green spaces.
• Write to the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs requesting that Fixed Penalty Notices and Fines for fly tipping and littering be substantially increased, and that options such as Corrective Work Orders be explored as additional enforcement measures.
• Stop the No Mow May policy and return to a regular schedule of green space maintenance during spring and summer months.
• Launch a local campaign to encourage personal and community responsibility for keeping Calderdale Clean.

Ending the Threat of Fracking

Councillor Martin John Hey, Leader, Green Party, is scheduled to present a motion to end the threat of fracking in Calderdale and across the North of England. The motion states that towns and villages across the North are once again under threat, as fracking applications are being submitted across Yorkshire and Lancashire using a loophole in the current moratorium² that allows fracking to take place using low fluid volume techniques.

The motion asks the council to send a clear message that it's irresponsible to promote fracking when the advice from climate scientists is that we need to reduce carbon emissions urgently to protect our long-term future.

The council is being asked to resolve to:

• Ask our two local MPs to sign the current parliamentary Early Day Motion, which calls on the government to update planning legislation to include all forms of hydraulic fracturing within the current moratorium - to protect communities, meet seismic safety standards and align with the UK's climate commitments and transition to renewable energy.
• Request that Council officers continue to take all possible steps to ensure that the environment of Calderdale and its residents are protected from fracking and its consequences in the future.

Buy Now, Pay Later Schemes

Councillors are scheduled to discuss a motion on tackling the harmful impact of Buy Now, Pay Later (BNPL) schemes on vulnerable residents. The motion notes the rapid growth of BNPL schemes across the UK, with millions of people using them to finance everyday purchases, and that BNPL is increasingly being used to purchase non-essential goods, including fast food and takeaway services.

The council is being asked to resolve to:

• Ask the Leader of the Council and Chief Executive to write to the Chancellor of the Exchequer and the Secretary of State for Business and Trade to welcome the legislation going through Parliament but urge further action to restrict the use of BNPL schemes for the purchase of fast food and takeaways.
• Ask the Leader of the Council and Chief Executive to write to Calderdale's two Members of Parliament seeking their support in the Council's Campaign to restrict the use of BNPL schemes for the purchase of fast food and takeaways.
• Launch a local campaign and work with local organisations to raise further awareness about the risks associated with BNPL schemes and to signpost people towards other means of accessing food, such as local food banks.

Road Traffic & Safety Outside Schools

A motion regarding road traffic and parking safety outside schools is scheduled to be discussed. The motion notes that approximately 1200 children nationally were injured per month in traffic-related collisions within a 500m radius of a school in 2024, and that the number of car journeys to take children to and from school has significantly increased in recent decades.

The council is being asked to resolve to:

• Be proactive in working with individual schools, groups of schools and ward councillors to identify schools which would benefit from a School Streets scheme and/or where traffic and parking is a significant risk to pedestrian safety.
• Encourage schools to adopt schemes such as walking buses and 'park and stride.'
• Actively promote campaigns to encourage more walking and higher take-up of public transport to school.
• Continue to promote and support the efforts in promoting road safety in the Borough.
• Adopt a 'children first' approach to planning and street design, particularly around schools, prioritising the pedestrian and not the motorist.
• Regularly collect and monitor robust data on rates of walking and/or using public transport to schools in the Borough.
• Explore engineered solutions such as traffic regulation orders or road markings at certain schools.
• Tackle inconsiderate and illegal parking by creating controlled parking zones and actively undertake parking enforcement outside all schools on a regular basis.
• Work with all schools in the Borough to develop Travel Plans for their staff and pupils.
• Work with Metro to more actively promote, to parents, bus use for secondary-age pupils, and for those primary-age pupils who live a further distance from the school they attend.

Review of Polling Districts

The council is scheduled to consider recommendations from the Governance and Business Committee regarding a review of polling districts, polling places and polling stations following the Local Government Boundary Commission for England's Electoral Review of Calderdale. The outcome of the review was to split Calderdale into 18 wards.

Reports from Leader and Cabinet Members

The Leader of the Council, Councillor Jane Scullion, and Cabinet Members are scheduled to report on the discharge of their roles and responsibilities since the last meeting of the council. This includes reports from:

• Councillor Scott Patient, Deputy Leader, Cabinet Member for Climate Action and Housing
• Councillor Diana Tremayne, Cabinet Member for Adult Services and Wellbeing
• Councillor Adam Wilkinson, Cabinet Member for Children and Young People's Services
• Councillor Tim Swift MBE, Cabinet Member for Public Health
• Councillor Danielle Durrans, Cabinet Member for Public Services and Communities
• Councillor Sarah Courtney, Cabinet Member for Regeneration and Transport
• Councillor Silvia Dacre, Cabinet Member for Resources

Other items

• The council will also discuss the minutes of the Council Meeting held on 23rd July 2025, and any interests that councillors may have to declare.
• The Mayor or Chief Executive may make announcements.
• Councillors may present petitions.
• There will be an opportunity for members of the public to ask questions.
• The council will appoint members and substitute members to serve on Scrutiny Boards/Panels and Council Committees, and representatives to serve on outside bodies such as the Brighouse Endowment Fund.
• Councillors may ask questions.
• There will be an opportunity for comments on the work of Scrutiny Boards, Panels and Committees and questions without notice to the Chairs of Scrutiny Boards, Panels and Committees.