Leaders to 'bite the hands off' organisation offering funding to protect Calderdale buildings

Calderdale Council’s Cabinet agreed to accept £210,000 – almost half the cost – from Historic England to fund a grants and support scheme for Mytholmroyd, which was badly hit by the Boxing Day 2015 floods.

The council will have to provide some cash and property owners will also need to contribute some cash to complete the £450,000 project.

Coun Jane Scullion (Lab, Luddenden Foot), Cabinet member for Resources, Performance and Business Change, said flood alleviation work gave the community more protection than before – and this scheme would help make heritage things better.

With Historic England contributing half the money for the scheme, “I am advised to bite their hands off,” she said – and councillors, metaphorically at least, did just that!

Cabinet member for Regeneration and Economic Strategy, Coun Barry Collins (Lab, Illingworth and Mixenden) introduced the briefing paper and explained that demolition work following the severe flooding of Boxing Day 2015, and flood alleviation work put in place since, had affected Mytholmroyd Conservation Area.

The new fund would help Mytholmroyd residents and businesses conserve remaining heritage features and enhance the area.

“I look forward to the scheme having a real, valuable, effect on the town centre,” he said.

The scheme will provide grants to the owners of individual properties who want to carry out repairs or other appropriate work which will enhance the area – these might include repairs to heritage features, reinstatement of historic shop fronts, improved signage and improvement to public areas and pedestrian accessibility.

Historic England will provide £210,000 towards the £450,000 earmarked for the scheme and it is envisaged that collectively property owners would together contribute around £40,000 of the total.

The council will provide the balance of the costs – match funded by use of its own capital resources, in the form of £135,000 of Bus Hot Spots funding (WYCA), £15,000 from a Business and Skills small project fund allocation and £50,000 worth of project officers’ salary costs.