How our council has failed to protect us from the Tory cuts
We have one shield to protect us from the devastating cuts the Conservative government has inflicted on northern councils. That shield is the commercialisation agenda.
Commercialisation means running some council services in a manner that generates a surplus for taxpayers.
Some councils managed this successfully with various investments bringing in revenue to support front-line services.
It's fair to say other authorities got things badly wrong and saddled local voters with additional debts.
Here in Calderdale, Labour supported the concept.
In a 2016 report to cabinet, the administration agreed to establish a trading company Calderdale One Limited.
The report stated local authority trading companies "could also be an important way of providing surpluses on discretionary services which could be used to protect the funding of statutory services to vulnerable people."
This was our shield to protect us from the cuts.
We would make our own luck.
As the Calderdale motto says, "Industria, Arte, Prudentia" (by industry, skill, and foresight).
Yet here we are in 2023, and under Tim Swift's Labour leadership, the commercialisation agenda of the council lies in tatters.
Meanwhile, at the last council meeting, we are discussing another Labour failure.
Calderdale Council's property development company Weave (Yorkshire) Yorkshire Limited, failed to develop council-owned land.
The promise of both building homes and sharing the local profits lies in tatters under Labour.
If you wanted further evidence of Coun Swift's administration's failure to deliver, look no further than the leisure center proposals for Halifax.
Despite receiving more than £12m in leveling-up funding, the entire project is on hold.
Labour has failed in its promise to protect us from the cuts.
Voters in Calderdale deserve better.