The Piece Hall, Halifax: Councillors should consider whether to continue financially supporting historic landmark

Councillors need to consider whether their authority should continue to support trustees of a landmark building when other services are being cut to balance the budget, one has said.

Calderdale Council is half way through its latest two-year agreement to provide funding for Halifax’s Piece Hall Trust.

The Piece Hall, which houses businesses, entertainment including a summer concert season attracting some of the biggest names in music, public events and conferences, attracts people into Calderdale.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

But in a recent questions-to-Cabinet session at an autumn meeting of the full Calderdale Council, Coun Abigail White said the council should consider the funding issue.

Halifax Piece HallHalifax Piece Hall
Halifax Piece Hall

The Piece Hall Trust’s 2022-23 accounts show Calderdale Council supporting them with around £450,000 of funding a year.

Coun White said she was as much of a fan of the Piece Hall as most and things going on there were “fantastic”.

But, she said: “I’m becoming increasingly concerned when we seem to hand over money to a commercial enterprise while stripping back some of the really, really important departments.”

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

Coun White said she was specifically taking about Youth Services, which had seen their budget cut by £124,000 and were “so badly needed by some of the most vulnerable in our society.”

“So as we approach our budget considerations in the coming months, can we all take a moment to sit back and look at our priorities, and where there are lots of ‘nice to haves’ there are some vulnerable people in our communities that are really, really suffering, and this will only add to the huge hole that we have in our Children’s and Young People’s Services further down the line,” she said.

The council’s Deputy Leader, Coun Scott Patient thanked her for her comments. “It’s something we can take away and consider when we move towards budget setting,” he said.

Cabinet will make budget recommendations to the council in January and the full council will set its budget for 2025-26 in February.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

Chair of the Piece Hall Trust, Sir Roger Marsh, has spoken in the past about the need for some public money from whatever source to ensure the historic Grade I listed building remains free to enter.

Running it includes staffing costs and inflationary pressures such as heating and lighting for what has become a “main driver” of Calderdale’s economy.

In his statement in the trust’s latest annual report, for accounting year 2022-23, Sir Roger says its work benefits the community – hosting 15 free community events during that year, and welcoming more than 1,400 school pupils – with its major goal of driving business into Calderdale.

“We continue to significantly deliver on our regeneration impact for Halifax, adding more than £7 to the local economy for every £1 spent – this is very visible when speaking to local businesses such as Holdsworth House, who cite the Piece Hall as the major driver of their significant uptake in bookings,” said Sir Roger.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

Trust Chief Executive, Nicky Chance-Thompson, reported in the accounts that 2.5 million visitors were welcomed to the Piece Hall in 2022-23 – 12 million since the 18th century building was re-opened after major renovation in 2017.

The trust recorded a small surplus profit of £56,329, helping defray start-up costs which a loan agreement with the council covers.

Its first seven years from 2017 saw £2.75 million funding from the council, reducing over the years (£450,000 in 2022-23, down from £502,000 the previous year).

The council has two representatives Coun Howard Blagbrough and Coun Tim Swift as trustees.

Comment Guidelines

National World encourages reader discussion on our stories. User feedback, insights and back-and-forth exchanges add a rich layer of context to reporting. Please review our Community Guidelines before commenting.

News you can trust since 1754
Follow us
©National World Publishing Ltd. All rights reserved.Cookie SettingsTerms and ConditionsPrivacy notice