KEEPING company with the likes of Brighton, York, Glastonbury, Leamington Spa, Bury St Edmunds, Oxford and Stratford-Upon-Avon may not seem like a bad thing for Huntingdon.

But these towns are included on a long list for the return of the Crap Towns book – a publication that makes its money by printing disparaging remarks about the places where people have chosen to live.

The long list includes 100 towns and cities with the aim of whittling them down to 50 for the new edition of the book.

The publishers are inviting residents to defend their town and prevent it from making the final cut by producing short videos.

Huntingdon seems to have been nominated on the Crap Towns website because of the way the constituency votes at General Elections – Conservative – and for its “plethora of card shops” in the town centre.

It adds that “Huntingdon finds itself wrapped up in a blanket of tedium, shaking an angry fist at the winds of change”.

The book’s author, Sam Jordison, said: “Crap comes in many forms. Very often the kind of towns that estate agents would describe as ‘desirable’ are the most stultifying, the most ugly and the most unpleasant to live in.”

But we at The Hunts Post believe the statements are as short sighted as they are patronising.

Anyone with any knowledge of the town knows the wind of change is blowing freely in Huntingdon, with major redevelopment of the town centre having started – work that will kill off Chequers Court (which we admit is ugly and was used on a cover of Crap Towns), add new shops in town and west of town centre and see more restaurants added.

But living and working in Huntingdon is not just about shops.

The town – and the district – has the beautiful River Great Ouse, historic buildings (including Hinchingbrooke House), fine dining places to eat, good pubs, and superb parks – Hinchingbrooke Park is visited by people from across the region.

However, the biggest asset is the people.

Along with the rest of Huntingdonshire, Huntingdon has a great community and people who are willing to volunteer and help others – the Woodlands Cancer Centre expansion is a case in point.

The caring nature of the town’s people could well be why we like to buy lots of cards.

Huntingdon Mayor Councillor Bill Hensley is in agreement with The Hunts Post.

He added: “It’s just another cheap ploy to make some money. There’s nothing wrong or crap about Huntingdon. If it were a crap place, I wouldn’t want to be mayor. It is a fantastic place to live.”

Cllr Hensley pointed to the success of the town centre – 14 empty units, which is half the national average, and more than 100 independent retailers.

Other highlights, he said, were Hinchingbrooke Park and the HCR104fm radio station.

INFORMATION: You can defend Huntingdon by uploading videos to Twitter. Full instructions from www.craptownsreturns.co.uk. The deadline is September 1.