An area in West Yorkshire has been named one of the best in Europe for its internet services and roads.

Calderdale is the fifth best place in Europe for connectivity, according to the international data organisation, fDi Intelligence.

The town ranked highly because of the percentage of people using the internet and the good upload and download speeds, plus non-digital connectivity including the quality of roads and the distance to international airports.

Calderdale Council’s 24/7 online services reflect the digital success of the area.

Halifax Town Hall
Halifax Town Hall

Clr Jane Scullion, the Council’s Cabinet Member for Resources, Performance and Business Change, said: “This award is yet another thing putting Halifax and Calderdale on the international map. Physical and digital connectivity are so important for leisure and a thriving economy, so the accolade is further proof that our area is a great place to live, work and do business.

“The council has an excellent track record for innovative digital services – for example, we were the first council in the country to introduce live chat. We are a 24-hour council with convenient, easy-to-access online services, which are proving very popular with local people.”

The council’s website has been specially designed to be easy to use and to support people with disabilities and those who need information to be translated. It is also simple and responsive on mobile phones.

So far this year there have been over 2.1 million visits to www.calderdale.gov.uk , and more than 250,000 people have reported things online. Over 12,000 people are now signed up to My Calderdale accounts and online payments are expected to exceed £5.5 million this year. Around 2,000 live chats take place each month and over 3,000 people take advantage of the council’s email reminder service notifying them when to put their bins out.

The council has given digital support to nearly 700 people in Calderdale to help them with their Universal Credit claims. To get Universal Credit people now have to manage their accounts fully online.