Clone Town Britain - Hebden Bridge now at number 6

Monday, 20 September 2010

Five years ago, the Hebden Bridge Web reported that Hebden Bridge tops list of towns with most local identity (June 2005)

Hebden Bridge has slipped a little with the arrival of Boots and Ladbrokes but the latest Clone Town Britain report from New Economics Foundation has Hebden Bridge at number six. The top three are currently Whitstable, Shirebrook and Normanton.

Hebden Bridge received particular attention for the transfer of Town Hall ownership.

"The credit crunch and collapse in price of retail and home properties has suddenly created a window of opportunity for communities concerned about the collapse of their high streets. According to a recent article in The Guardian, there has been a sudden growth in Community buy-outs of pubs, petrol stations and local stores, with local people putting up their own money and taking a share in any profits. In Hebden Bridge, the local authority, Calderdale Council, transferred ownership of the Town Hall to a residents group, Hebden Bridge Community Association Ltd on April 1 2010."    

Also in 2005, The Hebden Bridge Web also reported that a feature in the April issue of Highlife, the British Airways flight magazine, our town is the fourth most "funky" town in the world.