Issues and SWOT

strength

Use the park facilities already renewed

Several Centre Vale Park and Fielden Hall improvements are complete.

Proposed response: Publish usable facilities and booking arrangements.

Evidence

strength

Make room for homes people can afford

Average private rent is £756 a month (August 2026) in Calderdale council area. This is £703 lower than the England average for the same month. Homes rented privately ranged from 14.5% in Northowram & Shelf to 33.6% in Halifax Town — a gap of 19.1 percentage points.

Housing costs matter most alongside earnings and the number of affordable homes available. A local average cannot tell us whether a particular household can afford its home.

weakness

Street changes must work for different users

Brighouse’s later works were revised after a pause and review of parking and traffic arrangements.

Proposed response: Publish the revised routes and access provision.

Evidence 1 · Evidence 2

weakness

Bring support closer to people in poor health

5.7% of people reported bad or very bad health in Calderdale council area (21 March 2021). Across England, the figure was 5.2%. People reporting bad or very bad health ranged from 3.1% in Ryburn to 8.2% in Halifax Town — a gap of 5.1 percentage points.

This is how residents described their health in the census. It can reveal differences between neighbourhoods, but does not diagnose illness or measure current waiting times. Age profiles differ between places, so these shares do not measure service quality.

opportunity

Plan who can use Halifax’s new leisure centre

The replacement centre is under construction.

Proposed response: Agree affordable access, transport and service plans.

Evidence

opportunity

Plan homes and care around an older population

19% of people in Calderdale council area were aged 65 or over (21 March 2021). People aged 65 or over ranged from 9.1% in Park to 23.9% in Northowram & Shelf — a gap of 14.8 percentage points.

Age alone does not mean poor health or a need for care. Accessible homes, reliable transport and support close to home matter as people get older.

opportunity

Connect local skills to local opportunities

30.9% of people aged 16 or over had a degree or equivalent (21 March 2021) in Calderdale council area. Across England, the figure was 33.9%. People aged 16+ with no qualifications ranged from 11.2% in Hebden Bridge & Todmorden East to 33.5% in Park — a gap of 22.2 percentage points.

Qualifications show one part of the skills available locally. They do not show whether people have secure jobs or work that uses those skills.

opportunity

Target safety work where problems repeat

Mapped police records are available for neighbourhoods in Calderdale council area.

Published locations are approximate and some crimes are not mapped. Counts show recorded incidents, not the chance of an individual becoming a victim.

opportunity

Turn published plans into visible progress

4 named local projects or plans have official evidence in this collection.

A published plan makes responsibilities and intentions easier to inspect. It does not prove that funding is secured or that promised benefits have arrived.

opportunity

Target support where disadvantages overlap

Households facing two or more measured disadvantages ranged from 9.9% in Ryburn to 34.3% in Park — a gap of 24.5 percentage points.

These households met at least two census conditions covering education, employment, health and housing. This is not an income or poverty measure.

threat

Keep markets usable through construction

Todmorden’s square works and Brighouse’s later phases affect established public places.

Proposed response: Publish clear trader locations and diversions.

Evidence 1 · Evidence 2