The Council has decided to address littering and fly-tipping, tackle violence against women and girls, and end the threat of fracking in Calderdale and across the North of England.

URL: https://calderdale.moderngov.co.uk/ieDecisionDetails.aspx?ID=346

Decision Maker: Council

Outcome: Recommendations Approved

Is Key Decision?: No

Is Callable In?: No

Purpose:

Content: (A) Cleaner Calderdale   It was moved by Councillor Durrans, Seconded by Councillor Courtney   After being put to the vote, the Amended Motion was carried.   RESOLVED that:   This Council notes:   ·       In Calderdale, littering and fly-tipping continue to blight our communities, those who discard their rubbish and criminals who fly tip here cause misery to residents and businesses.   ·        Following 14 years of Tory austerity, council budgets have been slashed, putting pressure on budgets. In Calderdale, more than 70% of the budget is spent on Adults and Children’s care, and of the remaining 30% or so, just 3.6% is available for things like litter picking and fly tipping enforcement.   This Council 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 through litter-picking, reporting fly-tipping, and helping to maintain local green spaces. This commitment shows how much people really do care about where they live.   ·        Council officers, particularly those in the Green Spaces and Street Scene Team, for their hard work to maintain the Borough’s public areas despite the significant resource pressures on the Service and the Fly Tipping Enforcement Team, who have significantly increased enforcement action such as fines and vehicle seizures.   This Council believes:   ·        A cleaner environment improves public health and fosters civic pride.   ·        That whilst the Council plays a central role in maintaining a clean environment, it is equally important that residents, businesses, and landowners take shared responsibility.   ·        This Council welcomes the Government’s commitment to tackling environmental crime and antisocial behaviour caused by littering and fly tipping, including recent changes under the Antisocial Behaviour Action Plan to increase on the spot fines for fly tipping from £400 to £1000 and increases in fines for littering from £150 to £500, which has already been adopted in Calderdale. ·        We also welcome this Government’s action to get to the root of the problem, which is caused by the manufacturers of packaging, via The Producer Responsibility Obligations (Packaging and Packaging Waste) Regulations 2024 which came into force on 1 January 2025, and promoting public responsibility via deposit return schemes which are due to be implemented in 2027.   This Council resolves to:   ·        Send a message of thanks to our hardworking teams.   ·        Continue to celebrate our wonderful community groups and volunteers at the annual volunteer celebration event and make links with volunteers via Litter Watch.   ·        Congratulate the Calder Conservation Group CIC, which works with volunteers to keep our local waterways clean, for this month winning the BBC Make a Difference Awards 2025 (Green Award).   ·        Continue to support national campaigns such as Keep Britain Tidy’s Great British Spring Clean.   ·        Support and promote local businesses to prepare for the deposit return scheme.   ·        Continue the local campaign to encourage personal and community responsibility for keeping Calderdale clean which includes further promotion of local litter-picking groups and work with schools and local businesses to encourage more responsibility via Litter Watch and the Fly Tipping Enforcement Team.    (B) Tackling Violence Against Women and Girls (VAWG) in Calderdale   It was moved by Councillor Durrans, Seconded by Councillor Kingstone   After being put to the vote, the Motion was carried.   RESOLVED that:   This Council notes with deep sadness the recent tragic murder of a young woman in Calderdale, allegedly by a former partner. We extend our heartfelt condolences to her family, friends, and community. This devastating case is a stark reminder of the urgent need to strengthen our collective efforts to protect women and girls from violence, abuse, and exploitation.   This Council welcomes Labour’s national commitment to halve violence against women and girls (VAWG) within the next decade. While we support this bold ambition, we recognise that it cannot be achieved by national government alone. Local councillors, council leaders, and Police and Crime Commissioners must also act decisively to turn the tide on VAWG in Calderdale.   This Council notes:   An estimated 1 in 4 women experience domestic abuse in their lifetime (ONS, 2023). Women and girls from minority communities—including BAME, LGBTQ+, disabled, refugee and asylum-seeking groups—face increased risks.   On average, one woman per week is killed by a male partner or ex-partner (ONS, 2023).   Domestic abuse costs the public purse an estimated £78 billion per year (Women’s Aid, ResPublica, 2023).   Between 2018/19 and 2022/23, police-recorded VAWG rose by 37%, with domestic abuse accounting for 18% of all recorded crime in 2022 (NPCC, 2024).   In Calderdale alone, 4,626 incidents of domestic abuse were reported to the police in 2017–18.   The physical and emotional toll of VAWG includes depression, PTSD, brain injuries, pregnancy complications, and tragically, suicide. In 2022–23, there were more suspected victim suicides following domestic abuse than intimate partner homicides (NPCC).   Among young people, exposure to misogynistic online content is fuelling unhealthy attitudes toward relationships. Alarmingly, 61% of children who said they would seek help for abuse didn’t know where to go (Women’s Aid, 2023).   This Council acknowledges:   The significant 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.   The leadership of Mayor Tracy Brabin and Deputy Mayor Alison Lowe, including:   The West Yorkshire Safety of Women and Girls Strategy The #JustDont campaign against street harassment The launch of the Women’s Safety Unit   The Safer Parks initiative, which includes training staff and working with women and girls to redesign public spaces.   The vital work of local organisations such as Calderdale Women’s Centre, Calderdale RASAC, Women’s Aid, Happy Days, Street Angels, and the White Ribbon Campaign, who provide life-saving support and advocacy.   This Council believes:   VAWG is a national emergency that demands urgent, coordinated action.   Safety for women and girls is a whole-community responsibility, not just a policing issue.   Specialist services—particularly those that are “by and for” marginalised groups—are essential. They offer trauma-informed, holistic support and are embedded in local referral pathways.   Competitive procurement practices threaten the sustainability of these services. Statutory guidance encourages flexible commissioning, such as grant funding, to protect them.   For every £1 invested in specialist domestic abuse services, £9 is saved to the public purse (Women’s Aid, 2023).   This Council resolves to:   Reaffirm our commitment to tackling VAWG as a local priority.   Appoint a Councillor as a VAWG Advocate, to champion this agenda, amplify survivors’ voices, to hold the Council to account, and present a report to the Place Scrutiny Board when it sits as the Crime and Disorder Committee:   Work with survivors and local specialist and “by and for” services to understand the impact of VAWG in Calderdale and co-develop a refreshed local strategy.   Review Calderdale’s procurement practices for commissioning VAWG services to ensure alignment with statutory guidance and the needs of all survivors.   Ensure comprehensive education on healthy relationships is available in all Calderdale schools, addressing the root causes of abuse and misogyny.   Request Cabinet to:   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.   By passing this Motion, Calderdale Council recommits to working tirelessly to ensure that every woman and girl in our borough can live free from fear, abuse, and violence.   (c) Ending the Threat of Fracking in Calderdale and Across the North of England   It was moved by Councillor M Hey, Seconded by Councillor E Hey   RESOLVED that:   After being put to the vote, the Motion was carried.   The threat of fracking to the UK, particularly to the north of England, has been ever present for many years now, despite a clear message from local communities that the practice is incompatible with their well-being and the future of the environment. The period between 2008 and 2019 saw a large number of licence applications submitted by fossil fuel companies and exploratory drilling begin in Lancashire.  However, in 2019, following sustained public and political pressure and mounting evidence of the risks, the Conservative government put a moratorium on fracking; a ruling that remains in force to this day.   Despite this, in 2025, towns and villages across the North are once again under threat. Fracking applications are being submitted across Yorkshire and Lancashire – using a loophole in the current moratorium that allows fracking to take place using “low fluid volume” techniques.   Moreover, we now see national Reform UK politicians touting fracking as a legitimate energy option, against all the evidence that it simply isn’t wanted, won’t work in the UK and will only drive bills up further.   If fracking becomes established in our area, it will be local people who will face the threat of earthquakes, air pollution, and risks to water supplies. Any benefits will likely accrue to those living thousands of miles away.   Whilst no applications for licences have been submitted in Calderdale as yet, we know that neighbouring Councils already have approved gas exploration areas within their boundaries - and it is surely only a matter of time before this becomes the next threat to our unique environment in the Borough.   It's vital that as a Council we speak up now and not leave it up to communities to take the fight to well-funded energy companies at a later date.  We need to be proactive and take a stand now.   By supporting the Motion, the Council would 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.   As such, this Council resolves 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.        

Date of Decision: September 24, 2025