Life in village swamped in drugs and poverty as residents brand it a 'disgrace'

15 October 2023 , 21:35

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Dilapidated buildings in Cornholme, overlooking the village's main street (Image: Samuel Port)

In the far-off corners of West Yorkshire sits a village locals say is drowning in poverty and drug problems.

The scenic hills of Cornholme, near Todmorden, cast shadows over the grimy buildings that are falling apart throughout the village. At its heart, a cluster of run-down council flats stick out like a sore thumb with their grey brutalist design, looking worn.

YorkshireLive took a trip to the village as part of its series exploring the four corners of the county, having previously visited the county's most northern village, its most eastern hamlet and most southern village.

"It's scenic and bleak," one resident told the publication about Cornholme, which borders Lancashire. "It's not the weather, it's when you go through and there's those flats. But there's a beauty in bleakness."

Another local has dubbed the council flats "crackhead towers", reflecting on the vicious cycle trapping poor people who grow up in isolated villages, with poor infrastructure and a severe lack of transport links. In Cornholme just 54.97% of residents said they were employed in the 2021 Census. Of those who are working, just 68.21 percent said they have full-time jobs.

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Ali Patel, who works at Cornholme Grocers, branded Cornholme a 'disgrace' (Samuel Port)

Calderdale Council has promised it is "committed to reducing inequalities". Ali Patel, a shopkeeper at Cornholme Grocers, expressed his shock at the state of the village, calling it a "disgrace".

Ali, 41, said: "It's rubbish, absolute rubbish. Full of drug users and absolute troublemakers. 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."

Residents have slammed the condition of the village (Samuel Port)

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 added that it's "not that bad". He thinks of it as generally a peaceful place and likes it because "there's not much going on".

Diving deeper into the village's issues, one local shared: "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. We all look out for each other'

Championing the spirit of Cornholme was local sandwich shop owner Kelly Moor, who runs Moor Fillings on Burnley Road. The mum-of-two has been living in the village since the mid-80s and said "we all look out for each other".

She's also annoyed people think there's not much happening in the village, insisting there were "loads" of artists and musicians living there and adding film crews had recently visited to shoot a TV drama. Calderdale Council's Leader Jane Scullion outlined a variety of schemes the local authority has been implementing to tackle poverty in the area.

She 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 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 'h

elp and support with money' web page which offers residents advice on money and wellbeing."