Unable to sleep, eat, breathe since Erdogan’s brutal clampdown – message from Istanbul

Posted on July 28, 2016 by jenny

Plain Speaker may be a local news website for the Upper Calder Valley, but sometimes things happen in other parts of the world that are barely reported and desperately need to be brought to public attention.

Human rights abuses in Istanbul is a case in point.

A Turkish person living in Turkey has sent Plain Speaker information about civilian Erdogan supporters’ murder of soldiers on the night of the attempted coup, and horrific photographs that you may not want to look at. These are at the end of this post. Plain Speaker is withholding the identity of the information source, for obvious reasons. Continue reading →

Please ask your MP to vote No to Trident in House of Commons on Monday 18th July

Posted on July 14, 2016 by jenny

On Monday 18th July, MPs will vote on whether to renew Trident, Britain’s nuclear weapons system. It is made up of 4 submarines – one of which is always on patrol – carrying up to 40 nuclear warheads on board.

Calder Valley people have lobbied their MPs to vote No to Trident

Yesterday members of Calder Valley CND for peace and justice lobbied their MPs Holly Lynch (Halifax) and Craig Whittaker (Calder Valley) in Parliament. Continue reading →

Calderdale Catchment Plan Workshop 18th June, Halifax

Posted on June 10, 2016 by jenny

Calderdale Catchment Plan Director at the Environment Agency has sent out the Workshop Invitation for 18th June, 9:30 – 13:00, Imperial Crown Hotel, Halifax, HX1 1QE.

I’d like to invite you to participate in an important half day workshop to formally start the process of creating the Calderdale Catchment Plan. We’re keen to bring together the key individuals, groups and organisations who are working on flooding and water management issues, to share the work they are doing, pool resources and collectively design a process that will enable us to produce an effective Catchment Plan. Continue reading →

Help spread wood chip on Blackshaw Head Community orchard Sat 11 June

Posted on June 1, 2016 by jenny

Message from Finn Jensen

On Saturday 11th June at 12 noon we are spreading the wood chip – already bagged – around the fruit trees and fruit bushes in the community orchard. Everyone is welcome to come and give a hand. It should only take an hour. Continue reading →

Calderdale Alarm at Government’s fracking U turn on promise to protect Sites of Special Scientific Interest

Posted on August 1, 2015 by jenny

Frack Free Calderdale campaigners are concerned that some of Calderdale’s Sites of Special Scientific Interest (SSSIs) are under threat from fracking, as the government has performed a U turn on its promise to protect these areas.

Caroline Lucas, the Green party MP, said:

“The government’s U-turn on protecting the UK’s most precious wildlife sites from fracking is outrageous. It’s yet another illustration that ministers simply cannot be trusted when it comes to fracking.”

Continue reading →

New #Calderdale campaign says our four year olds are too young to fail!

Posted on May 22, 2015 by jenny

Calderdale parents, teachers and trades unions are calling for the government to scrap its new proposal to test infants on a narrow checklist of basic skills and knowledge, within the first six weeks of starting school.

They have set up a group called Calderdale 2 Young 2 Fail, in order to campaign against these so-called Baseline Assessments. Continue reading →

More the merrier – come along to Hebden Bridge “Bin the Infrastructure Bill” demo, 11am Sunday 18 Jan

Posted on January 17, 2015 by jenny

Updated 18 Jan Braving the snow, several members of the public turned out for the “Bin the Infrastructure Bill” demo this morning in St George’s Square, Hebden Bridge. The demo was organised by anti-fracking activist Helen Chuntso.

Demonstrators – including me – were calling on Craig Whittaker MP to vote for vital amendments to the Infrastructure Bill, that Green MP Caroline Lucas and LibDem MP Norman Baker are putting forward. (More info below about the amendments.) Continue reading →

#Calderdale Councillor may have to climb protected Mytholmroyd trees to stop them being felled

Posted on October 23, 2014 by jenny

Calderdale Councillor James Baker is worried because his neighbours, the new owners of Stocks Hall in Mytholmroyd, have cut down a tree with a Tree Protection Order on it and may be about to fell more protected trees.

Yesterday a Calderdale Council Tree Officer sent a letter telling HBB Relocation Services to stop, but today Cllr Baker can still hear chainsaws buzzing and the Tree Officer has told him that work has already taken place that needed planning consent.

Who owns the recently auctioned property?

To complicate matters for Calderdale Council, it turns out that HBB Relocation Services were just handling the auction of Stocks Hall and don’t own it now.

So it’s possible that the new owner hasn’t even received the letter from the Council Tree Officer.

Cllr Baker is appealing for information about who now owns Stocks Hall. You can email him at Councillor.JBaker@calderdale.gov.uk. Continue reading →

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