Hebden Royd is a civil parish with a town council in the Metropolitan Borough of Calderdale in West Yorkshire, England. According to the 2001 census it had a population of 9,092, rising to 9,558 at the 2011 census. It includes Hebden Bridge, Mytholmroyd and Cragg Vale. The parish was an urban district before 1974, created in 1937 by the merger of Hebden Bridge and Mytholmroyd urban districts. The area now shares the HX7postcode area. The Town Council has 18 seats over 6 wards - Birchcliffe, Cragg Vale, Caldene, Fairfield, West End and White Lee. As of May 2019 - 15 are Labour held and 3 are Lib Dem. The current Mayor is Val Stevens - a former deputy leader of Manchester City Council and resident of Mytholmroyd. She holds the unique title of first ever Mayor to be given the title via zoom. Her chosen charity for the year is the "Old Peoples Welfare Committee" who have been providing a lot of voluntary support during the Covid19 crisis. Hebden Bridge Town Hall and adjoining fire station is a Grade II listed building, built in 1897. The building was transferred from Calderdale Metropolitan Borough Council to Hebden Bridge Community Association in 2010, along with funds for basic maintenance work. Substantial volunteer time was put into renovation works and fundraising to secure the building’s future. A £4 million project built a small enterprise centre and new community facilities on land adjacent to the Town Hall. More than 450 local people have signed up as "Friends of the Town Hall" and can vote for the trustees. Hebden Royd lies close to the Pennine Way and Hardcastle Crags and is popular for outdoor pursuits such as walking, climbing and cycling. It lies on the Rochdale Canal – a through route across the Pennines. The area's location in the valley causes problems with flooding, particularly between Hebden Water and the cinema on New Road, Brearley Fields in Mytholmroyd, and further up the valley at Callis Bridge by the sewage works and the old Aquaspersions factory. Flooding at Callis Bridge is so frequent that the level of the River Calder has been lowered and special perforated kerbstones fitted so that water can drain back into the river. Brearley, on a flood plain, contains the playing fields for Calder High School and local football, rugby league and cricket teams. Hebden Royd suffered two devastating floods in the summer of 2012, and again at Christmas 2015; Todmorden, Mytholmroyd, Sowerby Bridge and York were also affected, with houses, pubs, shops and community centres suffering damage to property. The extent of the Hebden Royd flooding was shown in drone videos of the flooded areas, the most severe flooding occurring in Hebden Bridge town centre. Hebden Royd suffered the worst flooding ever seen in the area on Boxing Day of 2015, the River Calder reached the highest ever recorded levels, flooding buildings never before flooded such as Burnley Road Academy in Mytholmroyd. The parish is on the route of the Calderdale Way, a circular walk of about around the hills and valleys of Calderdale.
