The Shay Stadium in Halifax could be sold by Calderdale Council

The measures are among more than £18 million of savings Calderdale Councl’s Cabinet proposes making over the next three years in order to balance its books.

They include disposing of The Shay Stadium, which opened in September 1921 and is home to Halifax Panthers rugby league club and football’s FC Halifax Town, who currently play in the fifth tier of English football, sitting in ninth position in the National League.

UPDATE: Three main options for the disposal of The Shay have been presented by the Council, including the possibility of a sale on the 'open market'.

Other proposed measures to ease Calderdale Council's bidget worries include closing Elland waste and recycling centre and reviewing street lighting policy – essentially how long they might be switched on for in some areas.

A football match at The Shay stadium in Halifax, which could be sold

Should the proposals be adopted, these would not be implemented until 2025-26, but other budget proposals include loss of up to 44 full-time equivalent council jobs – it has shed around 1,000 staff since 2010 – over a three year period.

Cuts to some social services including some social care staffing support and reducing targeted youth services will bite from 2024-24, and the axe might also fall this year on festive lighting, or at least on funding the power to pay for it.

There is some good news – the senior councillors are committed to building the new sports and leisure centre to be built at North Bridge, Halifax.

Cabinet is looking to make make more than £3.2 million of savings in its 2024-25 budget, which councillors will vote on at the end of February, with a six week consultation period now beginning.

With a budget deficit of £7.5 million forecast for 2024-25, Cabinet is proposing a 2.99 per cent plus an additional two per cent ring-fenced for social care – making 4.99 per cent – Council Tax increase for 2024-25.

Councillor Jane Scullion

Announcing proposals, Coun Jane Scullion (Lab, Luddenden Foot) said these were things they did not want to do but were forced to do to ensure the council posts a balanced budget.

Particular pressures were social care costs for adults and children which the council legally has to provide and were now taking up 70 per cent of the council’s day-to-day budget, she said.

“The costs are continuing to spiral, there is no cap by Government on the spend on, for example, children’s residential social care.

“And for the last 13 years central government funding for basic services has failed to meet the cost of inflation, rising wages and energy bills.

“Many other services that are really important to local people are actually optional and we have no choice in this budget but to make some very tough decisions,” said Coun Scullion.

If the council did not make these decisions, commissioners would be brought in to make them – making the decisions would enable the council to  balance its budget, avoiding issuing a section 114 notice – effective bankruptcy.

“We are going to avoid that and keep decision-making local.

“We are going to look after older people and children.

“We are going to try and mitigate the harsh reality of the cuts as much as we possibly can.

“Even though we’re making cuts, we’re going to remain ambitious for Calderdale,” she said.

A view over part of Calderdale, including Brighouse

Coun Scullion said that meant continuing to be successful as Calderdale had in getting outside funding, for example, from regional combined authority or government.

“We’re not just going to provide the absolutely basic services, we are going to have a decent quality of life,” she said, citing the upcoming Year of Culture as an example.

The council facing projected budget deficits of £7.5 million in 2024-25, £6.2 million in 2025-26 and £4.8 million in 2026-27 meant in the end the council had to take a “cold, hard look” and say “we have got to stop doing some things – things which are really nice to have, and we wish we weren’t in this position, but we are really forced,” said Coun Scullion.

“Salami slicing” of services which had had to be undertaken in previous years was no longer a viable option.

Over the next three years, savings from adults services are expected to realise £1.6 million, from the chief executive’s office £1.7 million, from children’s services £3 million, from public services £1.5 million, from regeneration and strategy £2.7 million, from resources and transformation £825,000 and further savings across the council of £6.1 million.

There are some growth proposals – essential, for managing ash die back among trees the council is responsible for, essential repairs and maintenance, and statutory responsibilities in tackling domestic abuse – totalling £1.5 million.

If the proposals are adopted, the council would be looking to dispose of The Shay Stadium by 2025-26, saving it £161,000 a year.

Coun Scullion said: “Should a council be in the business of owning a football and rugby club venue?”

Senior councillors indicate they would prefer the two clubs to take o n the running of the stadium themselves.

Ownership other than by the council would also mean they could access investment and grants which the council could not, said Cabinet member for Resources, Coun Silvia Dacre (Lab, Todmorden).

The amount saved by closing Elland waste and recycling centre from 2025-26 would save £100,000 that year and £150,000 in 2026-27, while reducing opening hours at all the centres could realise £115,000 next year rising to £135,000 a year afterwards.

Reviewing winter service policy could see cuts of £120,000 a year while reviewing street lighting policy could see savings of £50,000 in 2025-26 and ££190,000 in 2026-27.

Reducing targeted youth services could save £99,000 next year rising to £198,000 in succeeding years – but Coun Dacre said groups like one being set up in Todmorden to run some things could access grants the council could not.

On cuts like this she said: “If you didn’t have to do it, you wouldn’t.”

The council will look to redeploy staff whose jobs are under threat but it was envisaged around 44 full time equivalent posts were likely to go over the three years.

Areas where the council is looking to bring in money include exercising powers to enforce bus lane violations – possibly bringing in £100,000 a year from 2026-27.