Update after our last meeting...

The Local Economy Group (LEG) of Hebden Bridge Transition Town aims to create the conditions for all the other transition projects to prosper. We are facing a threefold crisis of economic turmoil, resource depletion and climate change, so how can our town navigate the choppy waters in the century ahead without dumping on communities elsewhere or worsening inequalities closer to home. At our last meeting we came up with some ideas:- We all agreed that TT Leg should be a resource for transition town projects and green start-ups. Collectively we can help with business plans, funding advice, experience of collective and co-operative working. The group also has a role in helping to bring community assets into community control – e.g. council owned land. We intend to forge links with the Town Hall group, and will email them asking if the transition town can have a noticeboard there. We will promote the freeconomy, and help our town build up its “social capital”. We will seek to influence existing businesses in the town – e.g. the co-op and local business landlords. Treesponsibility’s transition support worker (Natja) is employed to December, and we should aim to get businesses (and everyone else!) signed up to Ecotricity – an energy company which invests all its surplus into new renewable energy projects. We are interested in the development of a local goods database and ordering service. We like the idea of promoting a transition micro-credit scheme to provide capital. This list is not complete! If you think we are missing something, and if you are the sort of person who likes meetings with action points, rather than talking shops, then come our working group’s next meet up on Wednesday 21st July, and every second Wednesday thereafter at 8pm. Provisional venue Nutclough Housing Co-op. If you want to come, or if you would like to join our email list, please contact us on localeconomyhbtt@googlegroups.com, so we can let you know if venue details change.