Created following the floods of Boxing Day 2015, the plan aims to reduce the impact of flooding and make the region more resilient to climate change. Actions completed as part of the plan are also part of the Environment Agency’s and partners plans to be prepared for winter.

The plan is a ‘living document’ and enables organisations to plan together effectively to achieve common goals. It is overseen by a group called the Calderdale Flood Programme, which brings together a range of partners including Calderdale Council, the Environment Agency, Yorkshire Water, Network Rail, the Canal and River Trust, local flood groups, the voluntary sector and community groups.  Progress to date has been strong, with over 50 per cent of actions completed or nearing completion.

There are four themes of the Plan – Strengthening Defences, Natural Flood Management, Resilient Infrastructure and Community Resilience. The combined actions of these themes work together to slow the flow of flood water and reduce flood risk along the whole of the Calder Valley.

Jo Arnold, who leads on the Calderdale Flood Action Plan for the Environment Agency, said:

It’s fantastic that The Calderdale Flood Action Plan is still an invaluable living document five years after inception. The plan outlines the work the partnership, communities and people have delivered and will continue to deliver to reduce flood risk to homes and businesses in the Calder Valley.

The Flood Action Plan is a great roadmap of how we and many other organisations help better protect communities from flooding, and shows what we are doing to prepare for whatever this winter may bring. However, what is equally as important is that people check their flood risk and sign up to flood warnings. Despite our efforts, we cannot prevent all flooding. It’s vital everyone knows the threat to them and how to keep loved ones, property and possession safe.

Cllr Scott Patient, Calderdale Council’s Cabinet Member for Climate Change and Resilience said:

In the five years since the launch of the Calderdale Flood Action Plan we’ve seen some fantastic progress to help reduce the risk of flooding in the borough. From major schemes to the efforts of our incredible volunteers, the completion of every action has made a difference and helped increase our resilience to flood events.

Unfortunately, our changing climate makes extreme weather events more likely to occur. Alongside specific flood reduction schemes as part of the Flood Action Plan, we’re also leading the way in our fight against climate change – work that requires significant effort and a cultural and behavioural shift.

We’ve come a long way since the launch of the Flood Action Plan, but this work isn’t slowing down. We’ll continue to work together with our partners and volunteers to develop our flood response work, alongside our commitment to the climate agenda, to do all we can to protect our communities from the impacts of flooding.

One key achievement since the creation of the plan has been the completion of the £41m flood defence scheme at Mytholmroyd, which now better protects over 400 homes and businesses.

The scheme included the construction of new, raised and improved flood walls, the relocation of Caldene Bridge, widening of the river channel at key locations and floodproofing of many buildings next to the River Calder and Cragg Brook.

The Environment Agency has also completed a £4 million repair programme of work after Storm Ciara in February 2020. This included the demolition of Shade Chapel, Todmorden, which was badly damaged by the floods, reducing the risk of flooding to 250 properties. Other emergency work included repairing damaged flood defences throughout the valley and stone/shoal clearance removal from river channels.

Under natural flood management (NFM), over 20 partners are working together on an NFM programme which has so far seen 600 leaky dams installed at Hardcastle Crags, 112,245 trees planted at Gorpley Reservoir and over 700 hectares of moorland planted with sphagnum moss to help hold back water and slow its flow, reducing flood risk further down the valley.

Infrastructure is also more resilient now with the relocation of 11 substations and three more to be relocated next year.

Good progress has also been made on community resilience through our teams of volunteer flood wardens and improvements to the Environment Agency’s flood warning service and sirens across the valley. There are 32 flood warnings that cover 7,577 properties. Over 25 of these warnings now have a take up rate of 80 per cent.

The infographics which have been created to show the progress of the Calderdale Flood Action Plan five years on can be found at: https://eyeoncalderdale.com/FAP-5-years-on

The full plan can be found at www.eyeoncalderdale.com/flood-action-plan

More than 160 projects across Wales will receive a share of more than £46m to help people into work, boost productivity and deliver net zero.

The Community Renewal Fund will pilot new programmes that invest in people, boost skills and support local business – to build more communities that people are proud to call home.  

The Fund is supporting around 500 towns, villages and coastal communities across the whole United Kingdom to ensure that no place is left behind as the UK Government delivers on its commitment to level up the country.  

Many of the successful projects are also supporting UK’s path to net zero carbon emissions, giving businesses creating clean technology a boost and ensuring that jobs are future proof.  For example, £127,000 will encourage sustainable and inclusive transport solutions in South Wales, helping to reduce car use and address air pollution.

Other projects being funded include:  

• £200,000 to support unemployed and disadvantaged people in Carmarthenshire to start their own business by investing in digital, employability and entrepreneurial skills. The programme will also fund a bootcamp for female entrepreneurs, creating a networking group for women in business. 
• £45,900 to upgrade trails in the Dinas Mawddwy area of Gwynedd. A key part of improvements will make the trails more accessible to those with disabilities, helping to protect community networks and ensure the outdoors is open to all.
• £629,000 to support and fund manufacturers in Denbighshire to implement new or improved digital manufacturing strategies.
• £67,000 to deliver deaf awareness training and basic British Sign Language to customer facing staff at range of businesses and organisations throughout Rhondda Cynon Taf.
• £61,000 to fund a full feasibility study to improve visitor access to Freshwater West in Pembrokeshire which will benefit local businesses and ensure the environment is protected while increasing tourism.
• £1 million to establish a Creative Industry Training Programme (CITP) which will provide a collaborative way of working, supporting training and learning opportunities in venues across Merthyr Tydfil and Cardiff.

Secretary of State for Levelling Up Michael Gove said:  

We are determined to unite and level up our whole United Kingdom.

The projects we are supporting today, from Wrexham to Caerphilly, will help communities across Wales realise their full potential, create new opportunities for the future and help us achieve net zero carbon emissions.

Secretary of State for Wales Simon Hart said:

The UK Government is completely focused on levelling up our communities, boosting skills and increasing opportunity for people right across Wales.

Funding for dozens of fantastic projects the length and breadth of Wales from digital skills in Conwy to small business support in Torfaen shows how we will unlock the potential of all our local areas.

This comes just days after £120m for Welsh projects was announced at last week’s Budget and shows that we will provide investment where it’s needed and where it can make a real difference to people’s lives.

Local authorities were invited to bid for funding from the Community Renewal Fund in May.

The £200 million funding through the UK Community Renewal Fund will help local areas prepare for the launch of the UK Shared Prosperity Fund in 2022, the scheme that will see UK-wide funding at least match EU money, reaching around £1.5 billion a year. 

In last week’s Budget, the UK Government announced investment of more than £121 million directly into communities in Wales, through the Levelling Up and Community Ownership funds, for big regeneration projects and smaller community initiatives. 

Further Information is available on all three funds  – the Community Renewal Fund, the Community Ownership Fund and the Levelling Up Fund, including the full lists of successful bids.

The published methodology used to identify places in need of funding is also available.

Investment from EU Structural Funds will continue to be spent by local areas until 2023 and the Government has committed to at least matching EU receipts through the new UK Shared Prosperity Fund, on average reaching around £1.5 billion a year.

This new Fund, to be launched in 2022, will operate throughout the UK and play a part in uniting and levelling up the whole UK. 

Alain Clapham

Alain ‘Fusion’ Clapham AKA ‘The Transformative Storyteller’ has presented shows for MTV and Sky, hosted events at Wembley Arena, interviewed the likes of Beyoncé, Dr Dre and Marvel-mastermind Stan Lee, and shared his story on the TED stage. An experienced educator and creative producer, he is now a lead facilitator for YouTube – empowering thousands of young people to better navigate the digital landscape – while also helping award-winning CEOs discover their own stories of transformation.

He has consulted for Wellcome Collection, Historic Royal Palaces and the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport and is the driving force behind BMT – an immersive live and online platform celebrating the ‘awesome everyday stories of black men and women’. Alain takes on all challenges with irrepressible energy, curiosity and a desire to get to the heart of the matter.

In this post-pandemic world, Alain has become a highly sought-after facilitator and host capable of harnessing the power of Transformative Storytelling to bring local, corporate and cultural communities together. Through his expertise and guidance, he helps to find and cultivate the common ground that brings about real and sustainable change.

Viscount Charles Colville

Charles Colville is a television producer and Crossbench member of the House of Lords. He is a graduate in Modern History from Durham University. He started his career as a journalist in the West Midlands and went on to work for BBC’s Newsnight programme becoming the Moscow producer during the fall of the Soviet Union. Moving to documentaries he made a wide range of science and history programmes working with museums and heritage organisations around the world.

He used his experience as a journalist and historical knowledge to create independent, fresh narratives. Since leaving the BBC he has made a series on the role of the Queen in our national life. His most recent work ‘World War II Battles in Color’ launched last month on the Smithsonian Channel. It uses soldiers’ personal film archive and testimony to give a fresh take on six decisive battles. The episode on the 1944 Battle of the Bulge highlights the role soldiers from diverse backgrounds played in delivering an Allied victory.

In the House of Lords he speaks on the media and digital issues amongst other matters. Most recently he supported amendments in the Environment Bill to reduce plastic pollution. As a member of cross-party Communications and Digital Select Committee he has taken part in inquiries on digital regulation and UK public service broadcasting. The current inquiry is into the government’s consultation into the privatisation of Channel 4. He is a great supporter of the Museum of the Home and looks forward to working with the Board of Trustees.

Professor Caroline Malone

Caroline Malone is a British academic and archaeologist, currently Professor of Prehistory at Queen’s University, Belfast (School of Natural and Built Environment) and formerly was Senior Tutor of Hughes Hall, Cambridge, UK. Prior to this, she was the editor of the journal, Antiquity and served as Keeper of the Department of Prehistory and Early Europe at the British Museum.

She began her career as a curator at the Alexander Keiller Museum at Avebury, and as Inspector of Ancient Monuments for English Heritage. She graduated from New Hall, Cambridge University with BA in Archaeology and Anthropology and a PhD in Prehistoric Archaeology. Her research includes a number of long-running archaeological projects in Italy, Malta, Sicily and Scotland, and most recently, she headed an Advanced European Research Grant for collaborative research in Malta.

She has published widely on archaeological subjects, especially prehistoric settlements, artefacts, pottery, early art and burial traditions. She is married to an archaeologist and has two adult daughters.

Museum of the Home Trustees are not remunerated. These appointments have been made in accordance with the Cabinet Office’s Governance Code on Public Appointments. The appointments process is regulated by the Commissioner for Public Appointments. Under the Code, any significant political activity undertaken by an appointee in the last five years must be declared. This is defined as including holding office, public speaking, making a recordable donation, or candidature for election. Alain Clapham, Viscount Colville and Professor Malone have declared no such political activity.