Big plans to give town hall new lease of life

The Todmorden Development Board was established in 2013, and currently comprises of elected members from Calderdale Council and Todmorden Town Council.

Since its creation, the Board has made some real progress in focusing activity to support improvements within the town centre, and particularly within Todmorden Town Hall.

On Monday, August 10, Cabinet will discuss options to ensure the success of the Board can continue and allow funding to be utilised to provide support to the town.

Coun Barry Collins, Calderdale Council’s cabinet member for regeneration and economic development, said: “We are committed to giving a new and revitalised lease of life to Todmorden. By working with the Development Board, who are focussed specifically on the Todmorden area, we can ensure that funding is directed where it’s needed.

“A lot of work has already gone in to making improvements in Todmorden, and by utilising existing funding, discussing opportunities to bring in external funds and widening the participation of the Board we can ensure this hard work can continue.”

It is recommended that Cabinet approve plans to appoint two business and two community representatives on to the Todmorden Development Board, to provide valuable input and feedback to discussions regarding the future economic development of Todmorden and also help the Board to bring in wider support for proposed projects.

In December 2013 Cabinet approved the allocation of £70,000 for a new lift to be installed in Todmorden Town Hall. The full amount of this allocation was not spent, and it’s now recommended that Cabinet approve the surplus funding of £23,000 for priority projects within the Town Hall. Cabinet will also discuss proposals delegating authority to spend a further £50,000 projects recommended by the Development Board.

These recommendations would allow the Todmorden Development Board to make progress towards realising their ambitions for the town and for the Town Hall.

The recommendations will be discussed at the meeting of Calderdale Council’s Cabinet on Monday, August 10m, at 6pm at Halifax Town Hall.