The leader of Calderdale Council has urged rival councillors to "get a grip" after the authority’s first full meeting under Reform’s control considered three competing motions and moved to withdraw from the Local Authority of Sanctuary scheme.
What was debated at the meeting
The session included one motion from the Reform group, one from Labour and one from the Green Party. The Reform motion, which carried with the backing of a majority of councillors, will see Calderdale Council withdraw from the national Local Authority of Sanctuary initiative.
- The Labour motion urged water company action: greater investment in infrastructure, fewer leaks and sewage discharges, protection for the River Calder and prioritising customers over corporate rewards.
- The Green Party motion asked the council to condemn recent Equality and Human Rights Commission guidance, describing it as discriminatory against trans people, unworkable and damaging to local neighbourliness and community.
Following the votes, Councillor Daniel Sutherland—who leads the Reform group and defected from Labour last year after 15 years with that party—addressed the chamber with a broadside aimed at what he portrayed as timewasting motions.
"Get a grip of yourselves. If you are unable to focus on council business and the things that we have control of, don’t be surprised that we don’t want to spend time listening to this."
In his remarks, Councillor Sutherland contrasted the short handling of one Green procedural item with what he called lengthy debates on matters beyond the council’s powers. He framed Reform’s approach as concentrating on "the business, focusing on what matters" and warned colleagues not to treat the council as a "debate club".
Why this matters locally
Withdrawing from the Local Authority of Sanctuary scheme represents a visible policy shift. The scheme is a national framework under which councils sign up to offer support and a welcoming stance to people seeking sanctuary and refugees. The decision will be watched by community groups and charities that work with migrants and asylum seekers in Calderdale and may prompt questions about how the council will handle refugee support and related services going forward.
| Motion | Proposer | Principal focus |
|---|---|---|
| Withdraw from Local Authority of Sanctuary | Reform | End scheme participation |
| Investment and action on water | Labour | Infrastructure, river protection, reduce leaks |
| Condemn EHRC guidance | Green Party | Oppose guidance as discriminatory/unworkable |
Opposition parties argued for different priorities: Labour focused on environmental protection and utilities regulation, while the Greens raised concerns about equality guidance affecting trans people. The exchanges highlighted a wider debate about the council’s role: whether it should use full council meetings to press national bodies and regulatory agencies on regional issues, or concentrate on services and decisions within its direct control.
Immediate practical impact
At this stage, the factual outcome of the meeting is the decision to withdraw from the sanctuary scheme and the rebuke from the council leader to colleagues who brought motions he deemed out of scope. For residents and local organisations, the practical consequences will depend on follow-up decisions by the council about how it will support people seeking sanctuary in the absence of scheme membership. No further details about replacement arrangements or changes to frontline services were provided in the meeting coverage.
The meeting is the first full council session since Reform assumed leadership, and the tone set by the leader suggests the new administration intends to prioritise what it classifies as core council business. How that approach will play out in policy and service delivery will be a matter for future council meetings and policy statements.
Further reporting will monitor any formal changes to how Calderdale supports refugees and asylum seekers, and how opposition groups respond to the administration’s priorities in subsequent council business.
