Jane Chippindale

The final numbers are in and well over 215,000 people visited The Piece Hall to listen to live music or enjoy a performance over the summer.

​​I am going to have a minor surgical procedure next week. I admit that I am a little apprehensive about it, but I have been able to put into practice a little breathing technique.

​​Peter Thornborrow is well known for his talks about buildings, and drawing on his experience as an architectural historian and surveyor of listed buildings, he introduced members of Hebden Bridge Local History Society to Hartley Royd in Shore.

​Magpies is a Calderdale-based charity dedicated to supporting adults with learning disabilities, ensuring they can live life to the fullest.

​I have been an MP for a little over 100 days. I still have to occasionally pinch myself, but I am getting the hang of the role. I keep in mind every day that you sent me to Westminster to make a difference.

​At the election in July we promised to put the economy back on a stable footing and start repairing the damage to our public services. So I’m delighted yesterday’s Budget did just that.

​The Chancellor of the Exchequer announced in the Budget that money will be returned to miners’ pensions. This is a huge win for coalfield communities.

This week I am back to reality and revitalised after enjoying a wonderful holiday in sunny Turkey, taking time to unwind and prepare for the coming months.

​​People often ask me ‘How come the council is strapped for cash? Surely emptying the bins and cutting the grass doesn’t cost that much?’ No, it doesn’t. The answer is simple: we spend most of the budget, 72 per cent in fact, on social care for our local adults and children. But behind that simple answer is a complex picture, including the money that we spend on children with special educational needs and disability (SEND).

​If you had asked me at the start of 2024 if I thought our coming year could exceed last year, I most certainly would have replied, that it would be highly unlikely.