From Paul Clarke

Tuesday, 10 January 2012

In a strange way you have to admire the cheek of the Lib Dems on this issue as on so many others. It's no wonder one of their Hebden Royd councillors defected recently and with Cllr Brampton-Smith as leader I suspect she won't be the last.

Interestingly the PH wasn't even mentioned on Cllr Battye's (Calder, majority 53) latest Hocus Focus leaflet.

I hope Cllr Brampton-Smith isn't hoping the PH will save her hapless leader. If so she is as confused on this issue as she has been reported to be on the Halifax library issue.

The weight of disgusting cuts to vital services like CVS and the utter fiasco round the bogus library 'consultation' will put pay to Cllr Brampton-Smith forlorn hopes.

I sense an air of blind panic among the Lib Dems standing this year and it is worth remembering in Luddenfoot they came a very, very distant third in 2011. Food for thought for voters in that ward.

From Cllr Susan Press

Wednesday, 11 January 2012

As Chair of the Picture House Committee, I would like to thank all those who have put in the hours to make this happen.

Notably our Town Clerk Jason Boom and fellow officers, who worked tirelessly to get the business plan to Calderdale in time.

Also our predecessors on the Community Association who first floated the ideas which became translated into a Town Council-led project,
Bill Lawrence of the National Film Museum in Bradford, whose expertise has been invaluable, Staff at the Picture House, all of whose jobs remain safe, for their patience while the handover is in process. And Friends Of The Picture House, re-convened to help us get it right.

Thanks also to my Labour colleagues on the Picture House Committee who since taking control of the Town Council in May have been 100 per cent committed to the project.

Before Christmas, we manned stalls in the Square and were at the cinema and in the marketplace for weeks as part of the community consultation which got over 1500 replies and over 84 per cent backing for our initiative.

Lib Dem councillors who were nowhere to be seen at the time and whose approach to the project throughout was ( to be kind) ambivalent can't jump on the bandwagon now and claim credit . But of course, they will. Because that's what they do.

But let's be clear. This was a Labour-driven project and it is because of Labour that the cinema's long-term future is guaranteed. It is also true that the Lib Dems' negative attitude towards the Picture House was one of the main reasons why we now have another Labour councillor.

From Cllr James Baker

Wednesday, 11 January 2012

I appreciate Sue can't be everywhere and see everything. However to say Lib Dems were nowhere to be seen when it came to getting involved with this project is simply untrue.

Sue was corrected tonight by the town clerk who confirmed that Christine Bampton-Smith had been involved in helping consultation days in Mytholmroyd. In addition to the Mytholmroyd consultation run by Lib Dem councillors I personally gave time to sit in the office typing in all the responses.

I think Sue you owe us an apology. I don't care much about claiming political credit for a project, but for you to publicly state we haven't been seen to do anything is simply untrue and that matter of facts needs correcting.

From Cllr Susan Press

Thursday, 12 January 2012

The Town Clerk did indeed inform me last night Coun Bampton Smith was present at a consultation event in Mytholmroyd so I stand corrected.
It is also the case Coun Baker inputted some data.

However, for 99 per cent of the time it was Labour councillors in the marketplace, in St George's Square and at the cinema distributing leaflets and listening to what people had to say. Throughout the process, our approach was constructive. By contrast, their negative attitude towards the cinema led one Lib Dem councillor to join the Labour Party.

Hopefully, we can all now move forward in a positive direction

See also

HebWeb News: Hebden Bridge Picture House (Jan 2012)