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Calderdale Inside Out

Calderdale Inside Out

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 Calderdale Inside Out is the podcast that takes a deep dive into the issues affecting Calderdale. We dig into the documents, and ask the questions that matter. Hosted by Sony and RTS award winning journalist and broadcaster Nick Meir, each episode takes a forensic look at what’s really going on in Calderdale — and why it matters.

www.calderdaleinsideout.co.ukNick Meir Politics & Government
Episodes
  • “Show us the evidence”: peat scientist challenges Calder Valley MP over Walshaw Moor wind farm

    “Show us the evidence”: peat scientist challenges Calder Valley MP over Walshaw Moor wind farm
    Sep 18 2025
    The battle over plans for a vast new wind farm on Walshaw Moor has intensified.The developer has released its EIA Scoping Report for Calderdale Energy Park — a scheme of up to 41 turbines, plus battery storage, roads and cabling, spread across 2,352 hectares of moorland designated as SSSI, SAC and SPA.At the same time, one of the UK’s leading peatland experts, Richard Lindsay of the University of East London, has used our podcast to challenge Calder Valley MP Josh Fenton Glynn to publish the evidence he is said to have seen showing that wind farms can be built on peat without harm.Campaign group Save and Restore Walshaw Moor reported on their blog that, during a recent meeting, the MP told them he had been shown data proving there would be no effect — but that he could not share that data. Lindsay’s response:“We should be allowed to see all of these data and the data should be available for scientific scrutiny for scientific review. It’s just environmental data. If the claim is that all these data are commercial and confidence, then that’s a complete nonsense.” - Richard LindsayJosh Fenton-Glynn did not respond to Calderdale Inside Out’s request for comment.Why peat here is not just “soil”Lindsay describes the vegetation growing on peat bog as a natural flood barrier:“If you imagine a thick Persian rug placed on a flat table… the water is going to take some time to filter through the rug before it pours off the table. You take that rug away… the water will just shoot straight off the table and down into our valleys.” - Richard LindsayRoads cut across that carpet, drying out moss downslope and funnelling water through drains. In his words: “The main infrastructural element… are obviously the roads… because they cut across the entire peatland hydrology.”Hebden Bridge flood riskThe moor drains directly into the Calder Valley, where the Hebden Bridge Flood Alleviation Scheme (FAS) is already under development. Lindsay says the interaction must be explicitly modelled:“If I were in charge of any flood relief scheme, I would be very interested in having data to show me exactly what the implications are for my flood relief scheme.” - Richard Lindsay“Floating” roads and fixed buffersThe scoping report suggests “floating” roads and fixed hydrology buffers of 100–250m. Lindsay is sceptical:“Floating roads is a misnomer… these roads don’t float. They sink.”“100 metres is just a figure plucked out of the air… just using one number works everywhere is a nonsense.” - Richard LindsayCarbon payback under doubtLindsay cites the Aberdeen University carbon-calculator team’s later peer-reviewed conclusion:“Construction of a wind farm on relatively undisturbed peat produces no net carbon benefit.” While Walshaw has been degraded by burning, much of it remains active peat, meaning the carbon balance here is still a live question.The evidence gapIn our interview, Lindsay was blunt:“I’ve seen everything from utter catastrophe… through to minor impacts and everything in between. I would love to see that evidence [showing no effect].”Richard LindsayWithout published monitoring data, he argues, the debate is being conducted in the dark.The scoping report stresses the national policy need for renewable energy and commits to:* a full Environmental Impact Assessment and Habitats Regulations Assessment,* management plans for peat, lighting, traffic, restoration and monitoring,* and off-site compensation/BNG.It also notes turbine bases and cables may remain in situ at decommissioning stageThanks for reading! Subscribe for free to receive new posts and support my work.Who is Richard Lindsay?Richard Lindsay is Head of the Environmental and Conservation Research Group at the University of East London. He has more than 40 years’ experience studying peatlands, has advised governments and conservation bodies on restoration and climate policy, and is recognised internationally as one of the UK’s foremost authorities on peat hydrology, carbon and biodiversityComing soon on Calderdale Inside OutEarlier this year Calderdale Borough Council granted permission for a highly controversial scheme - the Belmont Waste Incinerator in Sowerby Bridge. Have all the right safeguards been put in place to protect the local population? Subscribe and get our next episode as soon as it lands. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.calderdaleinsideout.co.uk
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    40 mins
  • Coming Next Week on Calderdale Inside Out: Peat, Politics and the Walshaw Moor Wind Farm

    Coming Next Week on Calderdale Inside Out: Peat, Politics and the Walshaw Moor Wind Farm
    Sep 14 2025

    The developers of the proposed Calderdale Energy Park have just released their scoping report — the first official step in the planning process for what could become one of England’s biggest onshore wind farms.

    Their chosen site? Walshaw Moor — a protected blanket bog above Hebden Bridge. A place that stores carbon, regulates water flow, and plays a crucial role in protecting the Calder Valley from floods.

    In our next episode, we sit down with Richard Lindsay, one of the UK’s leading peatland scientists as he responds to the scoping report’s approach to meeting the challenge of building on peat.

    - He warns that infrastructure like roads and turbine foundations are never truly temporary — once you cut into peat, the damage is chronic.

    - He explains why hydrological data from Walshaw Moor should be built into the Hebden Bridge Flood Alleviation Scheme — because changing the sponge on the hilltop could change flood risk in the valley.

    - And he responds to Calder Valley MP Josh Fenton-Glynn, who recently told campaigners it can be acceptable to build turbines on protected peatland, based on evidence he says he has seen but cannot release.

    This is more than a technical planning debate. It’s a clash between political assurances and scientific warnings, with consequences for climate targets, local democracy, and the safety of homes and businesses in the Calder Valley.

    Make sure you are subscribed to Calderdale Inside Out to get the full story when it lands.

    Thanks for reading! Subscribe for free to receive new posts and support my work.



    This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.calderdaleinsideout.co.uk
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    1 min
  • Hidden In Plain Sight: How Calder Valley Labour received public cash for undeclared building

    Hidden In Plain Sight: How Calder Valley Labour received public cash for undeclared building
    Aug 5 2025
    LISTEN TO THE PODCAST TO GET THE FULL STORY AND COMMENTARY FROM LOCAL GOVERNMENT EXPERT PROFESSOR COLIN COPUS (photo credit: Folk and Honey)Thanks for reading! Subscribe for free and support local journalism.Hebden Bridge’s Trades Building is a cherished community icon. For decades it’s been home to the much-loved Trades Club, but recently revealed land-registry documents and newly filed party accounts confirm the building is owned by the Labour Party for the benefit of the Calder Valley Constituency Labour Party (CVCLP). It’s also headquarters of CVCLP and served as campaign headquarters for Josh Fenton-Glynn during his 2024 election campaign.As reported by the BBC in February, for over two decades that ownership, and the rental income it generates never appeared in the local party’s returns to the Electoral Commission. Only this year on 28 March 2025, after informal queries from the regulator, did the CVCLP hurriedly file accounts for 2023 and 2024 admitting the Trades Building in Hebden Bridge is a Labour-owned asset which they now value at £191,157 generating income of £13,445 in 2023, and £14,262 in 2024.Photos show returns to the Electoral Commission for 2024 (with rental income) and 2019 (without rental income)Two months after Labour filed those accounts the Electoral Commission confirmed it had opened a formal investigation into whether the branch breached Political Parties, Elections and Referendums Act 2000, which requires accurate disclosure of assets and income.That investigation is ongoing.Public grants unlocked by a phantom Community Interest CompanyBut Calderdale Inside Out can now reveal more regulatory woe for the Labour Party.In August 2021 Hebden Royd Town Council’s Community Funding Committee approved a £10,803 grant for an accessibility project in the Labour-owned Trades Building.The Hebden Royd Town Council funding committee that waved through the £10,803 grant in 2021 included three Labour councillors. Council minutes record no declarations of interest—despite all three councillors voting to fund a building owned by their own political party.Under the Localism Act 2011, councillors must declare any financial interest in decisions where they—or their party—may benefit. While political affiliation alone does not automatically trigger a statutory declaration, experts say the approval of public funds for a party-owned building would meet the test for a perceived conflict. No declarations were made.“We risk being crucified in the press”Town Council Funding Committee minutes from August 2021 state the applicant was “a constituted voluntary community group with aspirations to gain CIC status; interest has been registered with Companies House.”.That assurance matters because forming a Community Interest Company (CIC) would have created a legally accountable entity with statutory duties to act in the public interest. It would have provided councillors with a clear governance framework for how the grant would be managed, limiting private or political gain. Without a CIC in place, and with no legal separation from the Labour-controlled Building Management Committee, the safeguards councillors may have assumed existed were never actually established.And when we checked, Companies House confirmed there is no mechanism to simply lodge an interest to create a CIC. The Community Interest Company promised never materialised, and we’ve seen evidence showing the grant cash was paid into the account of the Building Management Committee, a group made up, according to constitution documents seen by Calderdale Inside Out, entirely from members of Calder Valley Constituency Labour Party which manage the Trades Building on behalf of the Labour Party.One former councillor and Labour Party member told Calderdale Inside Out that BMC members were warned at the time that “a fully independent organisation should be applying for this grant” and that if it was discovered “we risk being crucified in the press”.Hollow promises of independenceCalderdale Inside Out has also seen an internal email sent by the BMC to the council clerk relating to the grant application in which assurances were given about how an independent organisation had been created and how funds would be ringfenced.The email promises that a separate organisation called “Trades Community Space” had been formed and the grant monies would be for the benefit of this organisation.But the email, dated 6 July 2021, also acknowledged that no lease was in place, saying“In terms of leasing, there currently is not a suitable leasable space for the TCS to occupy. The BMC will enshrine a commitment to offer a lease to the TCS as soon as is practicable.”The promises continued:“The BMC is committed to holding in ring-fenced trust any grant funding received on behalf of the TCS,”But the funds were paid into the account of the Labour-run BMC, and a lease for the refurbished ground floor area was granted to ...
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    43 mins
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