What is our strategy for Business Recovery in the Upper Calder Valley?

  • Bring hope – with a plan
  • Build business confidence – by support and mentoring,
  • Achieve recovery – by promotions and inward investment
  • Establish sustainability – by forward planning and risk management

It is now seven weeks since the River Calder reminded us we are a valley united by natural forces. The UCVR exists because the valley is joined by a transport network, an inter-reliant economy, services and various other aspects of joint community life.

Currently we are all still focussed on the recent flooding and how this has affected homes, businesses and tested the local authority’s ability to cope and plan for recovery with their cuts and staff reductions.

From the outset we said we were not ‘first responders’ and had no resources to help in that way. We always said we would look after the interests of businesses and the economy, way beyond the period of fantastic community activities to support friends and colleagues we have seen thus far.

We have been busy behind the scenes, we have opened a Business flood Recovery office in Hebden Bridge Town Hall and we are working with Calderdale Business Team on things like promoting resilience grants and researching those surveyors willing, able and available to do flood resilience survey.

We have also been busy working with Leeds Business School to network both the University staff who can help us with more accurate economic impact assessments, business recovery and sustainably models. We have begun to network with the business alumni for specific skills we can call on to help our businesses during the recovery period. This is all at an early stage, but we have had a really positive response from the University and staff, living up to their stated community responsibilities.

In collaboration with Calderdale Business Team and ’Business for Calderdale’, we will soon be undertaking of a wide ranging survey across the borough to get that comprehensive economic impact assessment mentioned above. We hope to get a separate breakdown for the upper valley so we can source our own recovery funding were appropriate projects present themselves.

We are also collaborating with the Calderdale Flood Commission to ensure that this work will augment the work they are doing on impact assessment of the wider community and environment and infrastructure.

We will keep you up to date on progress. Either here, or if you join our mailing list by emailing info@ucvr.org.uk or go to our contact page.