I love the Piece Hall. Growing up I sold copies of the Halifax Evening Courier outside the Westgate entrance. I was there when the ‘Multi-Coloured Swop Shop’ turned up complete with Keith Chegwin and Maggie Philbin. And I’ve watched it transform from down-at-heel Saturday market to a unique and much-loved gig venue. So, for me, this is a bitter-sweet investigation.
But loving the place doesn’t mean looking at it through rose tinted spectacles. And the more time I’ve spent with audited accounts, Companies House filings, hidden documents, and recordings of council meetings the more my rose-tinted glasses have misted over.
Here are just a few of the questions we ponder in the latest episode of Calderdale Inside Out:-
- Would Marks and Spencer still be in Halifax if it wasn’t for the Piece Hall? According to Nicola Chance-Thompson (CEO of Piece Hall Trust) they wouldn’t.
- How independent was a value for money report stating that the Piece Hall is worth £680 million to the local economy?
- And just how much cash have Calderdale tax-payers pumped into the Piece Hall?
The Trust, the council and the others were all given the chance to reply, and I’ll tell you what they said and what they didn’t say.
It’s all in the episode. Subscribe to our Substack and listen now
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And if you have a story you would like us to investigate please email on : Calderdaleinsideout@icloud.com.
