On Saturday 11th October from 12-1pm, protesters in Halifax will demonstrate against a major trade deal being negotiated between the United States and the EU, which threatens democracy, the environment, and public services including the NHS.
The Halifax protest, in the pedestrianised area outside Marks & Spencer, is one of many demonstrations planned across Europe on 11th October. Continue reading
“Facilities management” at Calderdale Royal Hospital is part of the Private Finance Initiative contract. This means that the hospitals Trust has to use the PFI Facilities Management company for all the buildings and grounds maintenance.
The Trust also has to pay the PFI non-clinical services company for services such as cleaning, catering, laundry and linen, car parking, security, switchboard services and portering.
Until July this year, Lendlease Facilities Management (aka Vita Lendlease) held the CRH PFI Facilities Management Contract. But then Cofely-GDF Suez bought Lendlease Facilities Management. (Update: IN 2016, Cofely-GDF Suez became Engie.)
The hospitals Trust had no say over this buy-out, or which company holds the CRH PFI contract for facilities management (FM).
Continue readingA majority of Councillors at the full Calderdale Council meeting on 2nd October voted that Cabinet should re-examine the Council’s policy for awarding Discretionary Housing Payments (DHPs), to make sure that the awards are made to as many residents as possible who need help with the Bedroom Tax
They also voted for a review the Council’s Housing Strategy to make sure that the supply of affordable housing meets the needs of residents, especially smaller households. Continue reading
The Moorland Burning Season started on October 1st and carries on until next April.
Over the last two years, Hebden Bridge-based group Ban the Burn has been challenging Natural England’s decision to allow the grouse-shooting Walshaw Moor Estate to burn moorland above the town.
The Estate does this in order to make conditions more suitable for raising red grouse – despite the fact that Walshaw Moor is a protected Natura 2000 Site – an area of peatland and blanket bog that is a site of special scientific interest and home to various plants and wildlife that are protected by law. Continue reading
The public can ask questions at full Council meetings, under Council Procedure Rule 12. This means emailing questions to be with Ian Hughes (Head of Legal and Democratic Services) no later than 7 working days before the Full Council meeting. A question must be no longer than 100 words.
Ian Hughes’s email address is Ian.Hughes@calderdale.gov.uk.
Postal address: Ian Hughes, Head of Legal & Democratic Services, Calderdale Council, Town Hall, Halifax, HX1 1UJ
Mob: 07900 240387
Tel: 01422 393063
The Summons to the 2nd October Council meeting says that any Member of the Council may comment on, or ask the Chair of a Scrutiny Panel or a Committee a question about, the discharge of the Panel/Committee’s role and responsibilities since the last meeting of the Council. In the absence of a Chair, the question may be asked to the Deputy Chair.
(Too late for this meeting, it turns out the public can also ask questions at full Council.)
If there are any issues you’d like your Councillors to ask about, here’s how to find out who they are and how to contact them. Continue reading
The first NHS debate between Calder Valley parliamentary hopefuls and the current MP Craig Whitaker ran along familiar lines. The politicians repeated what they have already said several times in other situations.
There were only two unexpected comments.
On Sunday 21st September, Save Calderdale Hospital and Huddersfield Keep Our NHS Public campaigners went to lobby the Labour Party Conference to adopt a resolution to restore the NHS.
But the Labour Conference Arrangements Committee ruled the resolution out of order and refused to allow it to be put to the Conference. Continue reading
A dismayed member of the public who attended the 17th September Scrutiny Panel meeting, where Councillors allowed themselves to be outwitted over Calderdale NHS commissioners’ plans to delay public consultation on the NHS shake-up, said,
“They might as well have been saying rhubarb rhubarb for two hours, for all the use that meeting was.”
There is an overview report of the meeting here.
For anyone who has the stomach for rhubarb, here is a more verbatim account. It covers
Yesterday Calderdale Adults Health and Social Care Scrutiny Panel members failed to use their power to decide whether the Calderdale NHS Commissioners need to consult the public about the new community health care system they are in the process of setting up.
Instead they have given the nod to the CCG to go ahead with their plans and report back to the Scrutiny Panel later.
Members of the public said they had now lost faith in the Scrutiny Panel’s ability or willingness to use its powers to protect the NHS in Calderdale.
One member of the public said,
“They might as well have been saying rhubarb rhubarb for two hours, for all the use that meeting was.”