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# Green Party claims provoke anger in Calderdale village
- URL: https://www.calderdaleinsideout.co.uk/green-party-claims-provoke-anger/
- Published: 2026-09-04T08:39:29.000Z
- Updated: 2026-09-09T08:44:15.000Z
- Description: Fury as Green councillor takes credit for car parking charge U-turn following campaign run by village residents
- Author: Nick Meir
- Tags: News, Politics, Upper Valley, Transport, #calderdaleinsideout, #Migrated-1788611362892, #Import 2026-09-05 12:30

### Fury as Green councillor takes credit for car parking charge U-turn following campaign run by village residents

We’ve all seen it. Local political capital built from litter picks, saying actual words in the council chamber, and generally turning up for the opening of an envelope. And, from time to time, delivering meaningful impact in the community you serve. Imagine our surprise when Green Party councillor Margot Puddepha selfied herself in front of Towngate Car Park in Heptonstall beaming about how she, along with the local community, had secured a policy “U-turn” on car parking charges in Heptonstall. I say surprise, not because Hebden Bridge and Greens appear to have had a Damascean pro-car conversion, but we covered this story two months ago and the Greens were nowhere to be seen.

Confused? Read on.

You can [check out our podcast here for the full background](https://www.calderdaleinsideout.co.uk/big-on-surplus-low-on-plans-we-uncover/), but here is a potted history.

Towngate Car Park in Heptonstall has been free ever since mechanised transport came into being. And that’s because residents in the 1000 year-old village centre can’t park outside their houses, given the streets were originally built to accommodate packhorses not cars. Back in December 2024 a decision was taken by Calderdale Council Cabinet Members to delegate car parking charging decisions to council officers (paid employees). And then in May 2026 the council consulted on introducing charges in Towngate Car Park in Heptonstall. A local campaign was quickly activated and even ITV brought their cameras. Local residents, community groups, and the parish council met with Reform Cabinet member Peter Hunt to voice their objections. He announced he was removing the delegated authority from officers, and listened to the village concerns. Last month, during a council Cabinet Meeting Cllr Peter Hunt announced he was reversing the charging decision, and Heptonstall went back to its day job of being a quaint sleepy village nestled in the South Pennine hills.

And then earlier this week Hebden Bridge and Todmorden Greens shattered the silence on [their Facebook page](https://www.facebook.com/photo?fbid=122120655441267103&set=a.122106589593267103):

“Towngate Car Park in Heptonstall will remain free for residents and visitors following a campaign by Green Party councillor Margot Puddepha and local residents” they trumpeted.

The fanfare did not go down well.

Somewhat displeased Heptonstall resident Marguerite Eccles, the REAL community powerhouse behind the campaign (we know because we interviewed her in our original piece), commented on the post

“I object strongly to the wording that a councillor from the green party was involved in our campaign ...I see accurate reporting as one of the first principles of best practice for all councillors no matter which party they represent ...it would be much appreciated if this could be corrected in some way”

She’s right to feel aggrieved.

There is zero evidence to support claims the reversal came about following a Green Party offensive. On the day campaigners met Peter Hunt, the Greens were not there. When ITV filmed they weren’t there. Ms Eccles confirms in her post that when she wrote to Green councillor Margot Puddepha about the issue the reply she received “stated that the information had been passed on to the people in the council who are making decisions about it” she goes on:

.”..It was councillor Hunt from Reform who came and met residents in the village and listened to what we had to say”.

There is an age-old saying: “one email doth not a campaign make”.

At the time of writing the Greens haven’t responded to any of the posts on their Facebook page by Heptonstall residents and campaigners complaining about their alleged political freeloading.

Calderdale Inside Out has approached Hebden Bridge and Todmorden Greens for comment.