‘Scenic’ village ‘swamped by drugs’
But some locals argue there is a strong sense of community
SURROUNDED by rolling hills, Cornholme’s dramatic backdrop means there are stunning views throughout it.
The ‘scenic’ village with an OL postcode sits 30 minutes from Rochdale on the border of Yorkshire and Lancashire, to the west of Todmorden.
But despite the idyllic setting, locals say there are serious issues in the Calderdale village.
Residents face deprivation and severe drug related issues, locals say.
The problems are so stark, one business owner labelled the state of Cornholme a ‘disgrace’. Grimy buildings appear to be crumbling apart across the village.
At Cornholme’s epicentre, a group of dilapidated council flats stick out like a rash with their grey brutalist design, looking weathered and almost sorrowful. “It’s scenic and bleak,” lamented one resident about Cornholme.
“It’s not the weather, it’s when you go through and there’s those flats. But there’s a beauty in bleakness.” Another resident nicknamed the flats ‘crackhead towers’ before ruminating on the vicious never-ending cycle trapping people in isolated villages, with poor infrastructure and a severe lack of transport links on offer.
In the 2021 Census, 54.97% of residents in Cornholme listed themselves as employed, while of that number 68.21% stated they were in fulltime employment. Calderdale Council has made assurances it is ‘committed to reducing inequalities’, however.
Shopkeeper Ali Patel, who works at Cornholme Grocers, said he was ‘shocked’ by the state of the village and branded it a ‘disgrace’. Ali, 41, said: “It’s s***, absolute s***. Full of druggies and absolute p*** heads. Disgrace.
“From outside it looks good. But from the first days since I’ve been here, it’s been full of idiots.
“They’ve been asking to take stuff home and pay for it next week, not having enough money, like with alcohol, just trying it on.
“It’s the young-ish ones, really. I thought it would be peaceful here with elderly people but it’s not, it’s a shock.”
A 38-year-old resident said: “Some of the neighbours are a bit noisy but that’s just the way it is, I suppose. They play a bit of music and they’ve got a couch in the street and they sit on a couch in the street. That’s as bad as I’ve seen it, I’ve never seen any fighting or violence.”
He says he can hear the music from a couple streets away. But he’s added that it’s ‘not that bad’. The 38-year-old thinks of it as generally a peaceful place and likes it because “’there’s not much going on’.
Discussing the problems Cornholme faces, another resident said: “You could say that of every satellite town in the North. There’s poor infrastructure.
“The terrain is difficult to get around in. So if you don’t have a job within your village, you don’t have a driving license and if you’ve grown up poor, it’s very difficult to get out of that cycle.”
Beating the drum for the village and people of Cornholme was local sandwich shop owner Kelly Moor, who owns Moor Fillings on Burnley Road. The mother-of-two has been living in the village since the mid-80s and said ‘we all look out for each other’.
Plus, she’s annoyed people don’t think there’s a lot going on in the village, insisting there were ‘loads’ of artists and musicians living there and adding film crews had recently visited to make a television drama. Kelly said: “In the flats up here, we do have people who are unemployed. I think there’s deprivation in every village I can think of surrounding Todmorden.
“We all know each other, and we all look out for each other. You’ll get a lot of people disagreeing with that, but I genuinely think there is. There’s definitely a strong sense of community.”
Calderdale’s Council’s leader Jane Scullion (Lab, Luddendenfoot) said: “We are committed to reducing inequalities and supporting thriving towns and places across Calderdale
- these are two of the council’s three main priorities.
“We understand that some residents are feeling the impacts of the cost of living crisis and the ongoing effects of the pandemic more than others, and we appreciate the different challenges faced in different parts of our borough.
“We will continue to focus on individuals and groups who experience the most disadvantage and our Anti-poverty Strategy sets out our approach to tackle these inequalities, working jointly with partner organisations across Calderdale’s public, private and voluntary sectors.
“We have created a ‘Help and support with money’ web page which offers residents advice on money and wellbeing.”
The council leader went on to reference the work from their Employment Hub team. She mentioned the council did not actually own the council flats referred to in this article; the work with Active Calderdale to improve green spaces; and her hopes that public transport will improve once work is carried out on the A646 which cuts through Cornholme.