At the meeting of Cabinet on Monday 16 March, Calderdale Council will be the first council in the country to consider formal approval of a Community Tension Protocol. This would be on behalf of the whole partnership in the borough, supported by the Police, Fire Service, NHS, housing providers and the voluntary sector.
Elected members will consider the framework, supported by all local organisations, to monitor tensions in local communities, based around a model of ‘Experienced, Evidenced, and Potential’ risks and threats to social cohesion.
The protocol will build upon established partnerships and processes in place, to ensure that Calderdale can address tensions quickly, support local neighbourhoods in challenging times, and reduce risk of harm.
Community tension can be caused by many factors, including national and international incidents, major events like flooding, protests, social media and misinformation. Sometimes tensions arise suddenly; other times they build gradually.
Calderdale has a proud record of responding to these kinds of events. However, given the harm that can be caused by heightened community tension, it’s important that the Council, partners, and community work through a clear process to respond at pace, utilising intelligence and insight.
The Community Tension Protocol being considered by Cabinet sets out an agreed process for reporting tension. This would cover:
- Risk – The level of risk that the issue is creating or could potentially create.
- Timescales – Identifying whether the issue is likely to be immediate, or over short, medium or long term.
- Status of concern – whether this is an emerging issue, or one already known.
- Scale of impact – how many people are likely to be impacted
Reporting through this systematic process will ensure issues are understood early and can be dealt with before they escalate, with a co-ordinated response agreed to keep people safe.
Calderdale Council’s Cabinet Member for Public Services and Communities, Cllr Danielle Durrans, said:
“We’re committed to keeping our borough safe, strong and welcoming for everyone. We’re proud of the kindness shown across Calderdale, and we regularly see people stick together and care for each other.
“Through our Community Tension Protocol, we’ll be leading the way as the first Council in the country to look to formally agree a framework to ensure strong processes are in place across a whole partnership response.
“We always look to respond with care and resolve issues quickly, before they have a chance to escalate, and help communities recover. The protocol sets out how partners across the borough identify risks, engage communities, respond proportionately, to ensure long‑term resilience.”
Calderdale’s Community Tension Protocol will be discussed at the meeting of Calderdale Council’s Cabinet on Monday 16 March at Halifax Town Hall from 4pm. The meeting will also be live streamed online at https://calderdale.public-i.tv/core/portal/home(external link)