Kirklees
Encyclopedia
The Metropolitan Borough of Kirklees is a metropolitan borough
of West Yorkshire
, England. It has a population of 401,000 and includes the settlements of Batley
, Birstall
, Cleckheaton
, Denby Dale
, Dewsbury
, Heckmondwike
, Holmfirth
, Huddersfield
, Kirkburton
, Marsden
, Meltham
, Mirfield
and Slaithwaite
. Huddersfield is the largest settlement of the district, and its centre of administration
.
was formed under the Local Government Act 1972
on 1 April 1974, by a merger of the county borough
s of Dewsbury
and Huddersfield
along with the municipal borough
s of Batley
and Spenborough
and the urban district
s of Colne Valley
, Denby Dale
, Heckmondwike
, Holmfirth
, Kirkburton
, Meltham
and Mirfield
.
The name "Kirklees" was chosen by the merging councils from more than fifty suggestions, including "Upper Agbrigg
", "Brigantia
" and "Wooldale". It was named after Kirklees Priory
, legendary burial place of Robin Hood
. The site of the priory is now Kirklees Park Estate, situated mid way between Huddersfield and Dewsbury and the location of Kirklees Hall
.
Under the original draft of the Act, the area was set to include Ossett
, which was part of the Dewsbury Parliamentary constituency
at that time. However, once Huddersfield was chosen as the headquarters, it was decided that Ossett was too remote to be governed by Kirklees. After an appeal by the Ossett Labour Party, the town was moved into the Wakefield district.
The borough is divided into 23 wards and each is represented on the borough council by three councillors: the council therefore has 69 members. Elections are held by thirds, with one councillor in each ward being elected for a four-year term in three years out of four on first past the post
basis. Exceptions to this include by-election
s and ward boundary changes.
In 2004 the wards of the council were redrawn, and there was therefore a general election of the entire council. The local government election in June 2004 was for all seats of the council. The electorate were given three votes each to fill the three seats of each ward. The candidate with the most votes was elected for the standard four years, the candidate with the second highest number of votes was elected for three years and the candidate with the third highest number of votes was elected for two years; their seat therefore being up for re-election in 2006.
, the Conservatives
and Liberal Democrats
have strong representation on the council. Each of the parties has formed the largest group on the council at some point in the last ten years, although none has been able to gain a majority. Each party has a number of "safe" wards, where they have held all the seats at each election since 2004:
The Green Party
has been represented on the council since 1996, when they won a seat in the Newsome ward. Since then, the ward has consistently elected Green Party councillors. The ward is centred on Newsome
village, but also includes Lowerhouses
, Lockwood
, Berry Brow
, Hall Bower
, Taylor Hill, Primrose Hill, Armitage Bridge, Ashenhurst and Salford. Also included in the ward is the majority of Huddersfield town centre, the university
campus, halls of residence and other student accommodation.
The British National Party
succeeded in having a councillor elected for Heckmondwike in 2004. They increased their representation to three councillors at the 2006 elections when they gained a further councillor at Heckmondwike and one at Dewsbury East. The party lost one of their Heckmondwike seats at the 2008 election to Labour. The Dewsbury councillor subsequently quit the party to become an independent, before resigning the seat which was won by Labour at a bye-election in October 2008. The party therefore had a single councillor in 2009 who lost in 2010 and so there are currently no BNP Councillors. All the BNP councillors were in North Kirklees covering the Batley and Dewsbury areas.
In 2006 a "Save Huddersfield NHS" group was formed to campaign against plans to move medical services from Huddersfield Royal Infirmary
to Halifax
. The group fielded three candidates at the borough elections, and a local general practitioner
unseated a sitting Liberal Democrat councillor in the Crosland Moor & Netherton ward. The group ran candidates in the same ward in 2007 and 2008 but they failed to be elected.
Most of the other wards may be seen as "marginal", with different parties capturing them in different years.
The elections on 5 May saw no change in overall control. Labour now has 27 seats, a gain of three seats from last year; the Conservatives have 21 seats, which is a gain of two seats, and the Liberal Democrats have 14 seats, which represents a loss of six seats. The Green Party has four seats, which is no change
Independents have three seats, which is a gain of one seat since last year.
The elections held on 6 May 2010 saw no change in control. The Labour Party made a net gain of 2 seats to 24; The Liberal Democrats became the second largest group with 20 seats, a gain of 1; the Conservatives slipped to third place with 19 seats, a loss of 2. The Green Party's representation remained at 4 seats, the BNP lost their only seat, and the number of independent councillors remined at 2. Wards changing hands were Lindley (LD gain from Con), Holme Valley North (Ind gain from Con), Heckmondwike (Lab gain from BNP) and Crosland Moor & Netherton (Lab gain from Ind).
On 21 January 2009 the political control of the council changed, and Labour and the Liberal Democrats formed a "partnership" administration. The vote to remove the minority Conservative administration was won by 46 votes to 23, with the Green councillors voting against the Tories. The leader of the council is a Labour councillor and the deputy leader a Liberal Democrat.
Following the May 2008 elections, the Conservatives became the largest party grouping on the council, with one more seat than the Labour Party and two more than the Liberal Democrats. Following a bye-election for the Dewsbury East ward where Labour took a seat from the British National Party in October 2008, the composition of the council is:
Summary of the May 2008 Kirklees Metropolitan Borough Council election results
|-
!colspan=2|Parties
!Seats
!Gains
!Losses
!Net
Gain/Loss
|-
|22||2||0||+2
|-
|21||1||2||-1
|-
|19||1||0||+1
|-
|2||0||1||-1
|-
|4||0||0||0
|-
|1||0||0||0
|-
|0||0||1||-1
|}
The table below summarises the results of the local government election held in May 2007. 23 of the 69 seats were up for re-election. Each party is ordered by number of votes registered. No party won the 35 or more seats required for overall control, though the Labour Party
won the most seats. The administration of the council was decided at the Annual General Meeting on 23 May 2007. The Conservatives took control of the Council for the second consecutive year.
The votes and seats listed below for the Labour Party
also include candidates who stood as Labour Co-operative
candidates.
The table below summarises the results of the 2006 local government election. 23 of the 69 seats were up for re-election. Each party is ordered by number of votes registered. No party won the 35 or more seats required for overall control, though the Conservatives
won the most seats.
Summary of the April 2006 Kirklees Metropolitan Borough Council election results
|-
!colspan=2|Parties
!Seats
!Gains
!Losses
!Net
Gain/Loss
!Seats %
!Votes %
!Votes
!+/-
|-
|20||3||1||+2||29.0||25.2||31,103||-3.0%
|-
|21||1||2||-1||30.4||23.6||29,200||-3.5%
|-
|20||1||5||-4||29.0||19.8||24,445||-7.8%
|-
|3||2||0||+2||4.3||18.5||22,914||+12.9%
|-
|3||0||0||0||4.3||8.3||10,300||-1.5%
|-
|1||1||0||+1||1.4||2.3||2,827||N/A
|-
|1||0||0||0||1.4||1.9||2,312||+0.9%
|-
|0||0||0||0||0||0.4||436||N/A
|-
|0||0||0||0||0||0.1||66||0.0%
|-
!colspan=2|Total!!69!! !! !! !! !! !!123,603!!
|}
Due to ward boundary changes, all sixty-nine councillors were elected in June 2004. The size of the council was reduced from 72 to 69, so there was a net loss of three seats.
Summary of the June 2004 Kirklees Metropolitan Borough Council election results
|-
!colspan=2|Parties
!Seats
!Gains
!Losses
!Net
Gain/Loss
|-
|25||0||5||-5
|-
|22||6||0||+6
|-
|17||4||0||-4
|-
|3||0||0||0
|-
|1||0||1||-1
|-
|1||1||0||+1
|-
|0||0||1||-1
|}
The first elections to Kirklees council were held on 10 May 1973, with the councillors serving as a shadow authority until 1 April of the next year. A system of elections by thirds was then introduced from 1975, with polls being held in three years out of four. This continued until 1982 when new ward boundaries were introduced, and an election of the whole council was held. Elections by thirds continued from that date until 2004.
The committee areas and their constituent wards are as follows:
, National Health Service
Primary Care Trusts, and the Kirklees Children and Young People Service.
The seven localities are:
under section 245 of the Local Government Act 1972 granting the status of a borough
from 1 April 1974. The grant of borough status entitled the chairman of the council to the title of "mayor
", effectively continuing the mayoralties of the former boroughs of Dewsbury (1862), Huddersfield (1898), Batley (1869) and Spenborough (1955). The mayor is elected from among the councillors for a one-year term (the "civic year") at the council's annual meeting.
Kirklees is the most populated borough or district in England not to have city status. In 2001 it was announced that a grant of city status was to be made to an English town to mark the Golden Jubilee of Elizabeth II
, and Kirklees council indicated that it was considering applying on behalf of Huddersfield. An unofficial telephone poll by the Huddersfield Examiner found a slim majority against the proposal, and the council did not proceed with the application.
by the College of Arms
by letters patent
dated 24 June 1974. the blazon
of the arms is as follows:
The green colouring of the shield represents the fields, woods and moorland of the borough. The white stripe or bend represents the M62 motorway
, while the blue wave upon it is for the many waterways of the area. On the chief or upper third of the shield is a paschal lamb
, symbol of St John the Baptist. John was the patron saint of woolworkers, and the inclusion of the emblem represents the historic woollen industry. The cogwheels are for the modern engineering industries. The crest is a ram's head, found in the arms of the County Borough of Huddersfield and the Mirfield Urban District Council. The black mural crown stands for the district's status as a borough, recalling a city wall. The supporters
are purple lions from the arms of the de Laci family, medieval lords of Huddersfield. For heraldic "difference" from other lion supporters a distinctive cross has been placed below their inner feet. This device, combining the symbols of Christ and the Virgin Mary, represents the priory from which the borough took its name.
es to urban districts abolished in 1974. The fifth was formed in 1988. The five town or parish councils are:
The remainder of the borough is unparished
, with the borough council exercising parish powers.
The boundaries of two of the Colne Valley and Huddersfield constituencies were virtually unchanged from those defined in 1983. Denby Dale and Kirkburton wards were transferred from Dewsbury to Wakefield, with the former constituency receiving Heckmondwike ward from Batley and Spen.
The constituencies were first used at the 1997 general election
, when the Labour Party came to power in a landslide, gaining all the seats in the borough. The party held the seats at the subsequent elections of 2001
and 2005
.
was the first at which constituencies based on the administrative areas created in 1974 were used. Kirklees was divided into four constituencies. The Conservative Party polled well in the 1983 election, and took two of the borough's constituencies. Labour held Huddersfield, while the Liberals, running in an alliance
with the Social Democrats
, held Colne Valley. In the following election in 1987
the Labour vote increased slightly, and they gained Dewsbury from the Conservatives. At the same time the Alliance vote fell, and the Conservatives took Colne Valley. The four MPs elected in 1992 were all returned in 1997.
.
and Emley
. The combination of the two county boroughs (which only happened in three other metropolitan districts: Wirral, Sefton and Sandwell
) resulted in a borough with no clear centre. Graham Riddick
, MP for Colne Valley
, campaigned in the early 1990s for it to be split into two. A similar ambition was mentioned by Elizabeth Peacock
, MP for Batley and Spen in 1991. The boundaries of metropolitan boroughs were outside the remit of the Banham Commission
appointed to review local government structures in 1992 or its successors, and only minor boundary changes were made with neighbouring districts in 1994.
The district includes areas of three postal codes. Birkenshaw, Cleckheaton and Gomersal
lie within the BD Bradford area. The Huddersfield HD postcode also includes the rural south area of the district, while Batley, Dewsbury, Heckmondwike and Mirfield lie within the Wakefield WF postcode. Similarly, the telephone dialling codes are split, with Kirklees residents being split between 01484 Huddersfield, 01274 Bradford and 01924 Wakefield. A small number of residents fall within 01422 Halifax (Birchencliffe village) and 0113 (part of Birkenshaw).
. The border of Kirklees borough with Derbyshire
(High Peak district) runs across the summit of the significant hill named Black Hill
.
The last remaining colliery in West Yorkshire
is at Scissett
; the mine was so small that it was never nationalised and has always been in private hands.
Dewsbury
and Batley
have been made into a special E.U.
transformation area to address their problems of deprivation.
Metropolitan borough
A metropolitan borough is a type of local government district in England, and is a subdivision of a metropolitan county. Created in 1974 by the Local Government Act 1972, metropolitan boroughs are defined in English law as metropolitan districts, however all of them have been granted or regranted...
of West Yorkshire
West Yorkshire
West Yorkshire is a metropolitan county within the Yorkshire and the Humber region of England with a population of 2.2 million. West Yorkshire came into existence as a metropolitan county in 1974 after the passage of the Local Government Act 1972....
, England. It has a population of 401,000 and includes the settlements of Batley
Batley
Batley is a town within the Metropolitan Borough of Kirklees, in West Yorkshire, England. It lies southeast of Bradford, southwest of Leeds and north of Dewsbury, near the M62 motorway. It has a population of 49,448 . Other nearby towns include Morley to the northeast, Ossett to the southeast...
, Birstall
Birstall, West Yorkshire
Birstall is a large village in the metropolitan borough of Kirklees, West Yorkshire, England and situated roughly 6 miles south-west of Leeds. It features a quaint triangular Victorian marketplace, which replaced an earlier market on High Street in the Georgian area of the village further up the hill...
, Cleckheaton
Cleckheaton
Cleckheaton is a town within the Metropolitan Borough of Kirklees, in West Yorkshire, England, situated south of Bradford, east of Brighouse, west of Batley and south-west of Leeds...
, Denby Dale
Denby Dale
Denby Dale is a village and civil parish in the metropolitan borough of Kirklees in West Yorkshire, England, to the South East of Huddersfield. As a civil parish it covers the villages of Denby Dale, Lower Denby, Upper Denby, Upper Cumberworth, Lower Cumberworth, Skelmanthorpe, Emley, Emley...
, Dewsbury
Dewsbury
Dewsbury is a minster town in the Metropolitan Borough of Kirklees, in West Yorkshire, England. It is to the west of Wakefield, east of Huddersfield and south of Leeds...
, Heckmondwike
Heckmondwike
Heckmondwike is a small town in the metropolitan borough of Kirklees, which is located geographically at the centre of West Yorkshire, England, south west of Leeds. Close to Cleckheaton and Liversedge, it is part of Cleckheckmondsedge, a name invented by J.B. Priestley to represent a West Riding...
, Holmfirth
Holmfirth
Holmfirth is a small town located on the A6024 Woodhead Road in the Holme Valley, within the Metropolitan Borough of Kirklees, West Yorkshire, England. Centred upon the confluence of the Holme and Ribble rivers, Holmfirth is south of Huddersfield and from Glossop. It mostly consists of...
, Huddersfield
Huddersfield
Huddersfield is a large market town within the Metropolitan Borough of Kirklees, in West Yorkshire, England, situated halfway between Leeds and Manchester. It lies north of London, and south of Bradford, the nearest city....
, Kirkburton
Kirkburton
Kirkburton is a village, civil parish and local government ward in the metropolitan county of West Yorkshire, England, south east of Huddersfield, in the Metropolitan Borough of Kirklees...
, Marsden
Marsden, West Yorkshire
Marsden is a large village within the Metropolitan Borough of Kirklees, in West Yorkshire, England, west of Huddersfield and located at the confluence of the River Colne and the Wessenden Brook...
, Meltham
Meltham
Meltham is a small town and civil parish within the Metropolitan Borough of Kirklees, in West Yorkshire, England. It lies in the Holme Valley, below Wessenden Moor, four and a half miles south-west of Huddersfield on the edge of the Peak District National Park...
, Mirfield
Mirfield
Mirfield is a small town and civil parish within the Metropolitan Borough of Kirklees, in West Yorkshire, England. It is located on the A644 road between Brighouse and Dewsbury...
and Slaithwaite
Slaithwaite
Slaithwaite is a village within the Metropolitan Borough of Kirklees, in West Yorkshire, England. It lies in the Colne Valley laying across the River Colne and the Huddersfield Narrow Canal, approximately southwest of Huddersfield. The pronunciation of Slaithwaite varies...
. Huddersfield is the largest settlement of the district, and its centre of administration
Administrative centre
An administrative centre is a term often used in several countries to refer to a county town, or other seat of regional or local government, or the place where the central administration of a commune is located....
.
History
The boroughBorough
A borough is an administrative division in various countries. In principle, the term borough designates a self-governing township although, in practice, official use of the term varies widely....
was formed under the Local Government Act 1972
Local Government Act 1972
The Local Government Act 1972 is an Act of Parliament in the United Kingdom that reformed local government in England and Wales on 1 April 1974....
on 1 April 1974, by a merger of the county borough
County borough
County borough is a term introduced in 1889 in the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland , to refer to a borough or a city independent of county council control. They were abolished by the Local Government Act 1972 in England and Wales, but continue in use for lieutenancy and shrievalty in...
s of Dewsbury
Dewsbury
Dewsbury is a minster town in the Metropolitan Borough of Kirklees, in West Yorkshire, England. It is to the west of Wakefield, east of Huddersfield and south of Leeds...
and Huddersfield
Huddersfield
Huddersfield is a large market town within the Metropolitan Borough of Kirklees, in West Yorkshire, England, situated halfway between Leeds and Manchester. It lies north of London, and south of Bradford, the nearest city....
along with the municipal borough
Municipal borough
Municipal boroughs were a type of local government district which existed in England and Wales between 1835 and 1974, in Northern Ireland from 1840 to 1973 and in the Republic of Ireland from 1840 to 2002...
s of Batley
Batley
Batley is a town within the Metropolitan Borough of Kirklees, in West Yorkshire, England. It lies southeast of Bradford, southwest of Leeds and north of Dewsbury, near the M62 motorway. It has a population of 49,448 . Other nearby towns include Morley to the northeast, Ossett to the southeast...
and Spenborough
Spenborough
Spenborough was, from 1915 to 1974, a local government district in the administrative county of Yorkshire, West Riding.Spenborough was created as an urban district in 1915 by the merger of Cleckheaton, Gomersal and Liversedge urban districts...
and the urban district
Urban district
In the England, Wales and Ireland, an urban district was a type of local government district that covered an urbanised area. Urban districts had an elected Urban District Council , which shared local government responsibilities with a county council....
s of Colne Valley
Colne Valley
The Colne Valley is a steep sided valley on the east flank of the Pennine Hills in the English county of West Yorkshire. It takes its name from the River Colne which rises above the town of Marsden and flows eastward along the floor of the valley....
, Denby Dale
Denby Dale
Denby Dale is a village and civil parish in the metropolitan borough of Kirklees in West Yorkshire, England, to the South East of Huddersfield. As a civil parish it covers the villages of Denby Dale, Lower Denby, Upper Denby, Upper Cumberworth, Lower Cumberworth, Skelmanthorpe, Emley, Emley...
, Heckmondwike
Heckmondwike
Heckmondwike is a small town in the metropolitan borough of Kirklees, which is located geographically at the centre of West Yorkshire, England, south west of Leeds. Close to Cleckheaton and Liversedge, it is part of Cleckheckmondsedge, a name invented by J.B. Priestley to represent a West Riding...
, Holmfirth
Holme Valley
Holme Valley is a large civil parish in the Metropolitan Borough of Kirklees in West Yorkshire, England. It has a population of 25,049 . Its administrative centre is in Holmfirth. Other sizeable settlements in the parish include, Brockholes, Honley and New Mill...
, Kirkburton
Kirkburton
Kirkburton is a village, civil parish and local government ward in the metropolitan county of West Yorkshire, England, south east of Huddersfield, in the Metropolitan Borough of Kirklees...
, Meltham
Meltham
Meltham is a small town and civil parish within the Metropolitan Borough of Kirklees, in West Yorkshire, England. It lies in the Holme Valley, below Wessenden Moor, four and a half miles south-west of Huddersfield on the edge of the Peak District National Park...
and Mirfield
Mirfield
Mirfield is a small town and civil parish within the Metropolitan Borough of Kirklees, in West Yorkshire, England. It is located on the A644 road between Brighouse and Dewsbury...
.
The name "Kirklees" was chosen by the merging councils from more than fifty suggestions, including "Upper Agbrigg
Agbrigg and Morley
Agbrigg and Morley was a wapentake of the West Riding of Yorkshire, England. It was split into two divisions, which in the mid-nineteenth century became wapentakes in their own right....
", "Brigantia
Brigantes
The Brigantes were a Celtic tribe who in pre-Roman times controlled the largest section of what would become Northern England, and a significant part of the Midlands. Their kingdom is sometimes called Brigantia, and it was centred in what was later known as Yorkshire...
" and "Wooldale". It was named after Kirklees Priory
Kirklees Priory
Kirklees Priory was a Cistercian nunnery whose site is in the present-day Kirklees Park, Clifton near Brighouse, West Yorkshire, England. It was originally in the ancient ecclesiastical parish of Dewsbury...
, legendary burial place of Robin Hood
Robin Hood
Robin Hood was a heroic outlaw in English folklore. A highly skilled archer and swordsman, he is known for "robbing from the rich and giving to the poor", assisted by a group of fellow outlaws known as his "Merry Men". Traditionally, Robin Hood and his men are depicted wearing Lincoln green clothes....
. The site of the priory is now Kirklees Park Estate, situated mid way between Huddersfield and Dewsbury and the location of Kirklees Hall
Kirklees Hall
Kirklees Hall is a 16th century Grade I listed Jacobean hall, close to the English village of Clifton in Calderdale, West Yorkshire. The first evidence of a hall constructed at Kirklees was that of Sir Thomas Gargrave, who conveyed the property to the Pilkington family. Lady Armytage, sold the...
.
Under the original draft of the Act, the area was set to include Ossett
Ossett
Ossett is a market town within the metropolitan borough of the City of Wakefield, in West Yorkshire, England. It is located on junction 40 of the M1 motorway, half-way between Dewsbury, to the west, and Wakefield, to the east. In the 2001 census, it was classified as part of the West Yorkshire...
, which was part of the Dewsbury Parliamentary constituency
Dewsbury (UK Parliament constituency)
Dewsbury is a constituency represented in the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. It elects one Member of Parliament by the first past the post system of election...
at that time. However, once Huddersfield was chosen as the headquarters, it was decided that Ossett was too remote to be governed by Kirklees. After an appeal by the Ossett Labour Party, the town was moved into the Wakefield district.
Borough council
Plurality voting system
The plurality voting system is a single-winner voting system often used to elect executive officers or to elect members of a legislative assembly which is based on single-member constituencies...
basis. Exceptions to this include by-election
By-election
A by-election is an election held to fill a political office that has become vacant between regularly scheduled elections....
s and ward boundary changes.
In 2004 the wards of the council were redrawn, and there was therefore a general election of the entire council. The local government election in June 2004 was for all seats of the council. The electorate were given three votes each to fill the three seats of each ward. The candidate with the most votes was elected for the standard four years, the candidate with the second highest number of votes was elected for three years and the candidate with the third highest number of votes was elected for two years; their seat therefore being up for re-election in 2006.
Political groupings and control
All three of the United Kingdom's main political parties: the Labour PartyLabour Party (UK)
The Labour Party is a centre-left democratic socialist party in the United Kingdom. It surpassed the Liberal Party in general elections during the early 1920s, forming minority governments under Ramsay MacDonald in 1924 and 1929-1931. The party was in a wartime coalition from 1940 to 1945, after...
, the Conservatives
Conservative Party (UK)
The Conservative Party, formally the Conservative and Unionist Party, is a centre-right political party in the United Kingdom that adheres to the philosophies of conservatism and British unionism. It is the largest political party in the UK, and is currently the largest single party in the House...
and Liberal Democrats
Liberal Democrats
The Liberal Democrats are a social liberal political party in the United Kingdom which supports constitutional and electoral reform, progressive taxation, wealth taxation, human rights laws, cultural liberalism, banking reform and civil liberties .The party was formed in 1988 by a merger of the...
have strong representation on the council. Each of the parties has formed the largest group on the council at some point in the last ten years, although none has been able to gain a majority. Each party has a number of "safe" wards, where they have held all the seats at each election since 2004:
- The Conservative Party: Birstall & Birkenshaw, Holme Valley South, Liversedge & Gomersal and Mirfield.
- The Labour Party: Ashbrow, Batley East and Greenhead wards.
- The Liberal Democrats: Almondbury, Cleckheaton, Colne Valley and Golcar.
The Green Party
Green Party of England and Wales
The Green Party of England and Wales is a political party in England and Wales which follows the traditions of Green politics and maintains a strong commitment to social progressivism. It is the largest Green party in the United Kingdom, containing within it various regional divisions including...
has been represented on the council since 1996, when they won a seat in the Newsome ward. Since then, the ward has consistently elected Green Party councillors. The ward is centred on Newsome
Newsome
Newsome is a village situated approximately 1 mile south of Huddersfield, West Yorkshire, England. It is in the Metropolitan Borough of Kirklees. The village lies at the centre of Newsome Ward to which it gives its name.-Geography:...
village, but also includes Lowerhouses
Lowerhouses
Lowerhouses is a large housing estate in the town of Huddersfield, West Yorkshire, England.The district is situated between Newsome and Almondbury....
, Lockwood
Lockwood, Huddersfield
Lockwood is an area of Huddersfield, in the Metropolitan Borough of Kirklees, West Yorkshire, England. It is to the southwest of Huddersfield Town Centre, to the west of the River Holme....
, Berry Brow
Berry Brow
Berry Brow is a semi-rural village in West Yorkshire, England situated about south of Huddersfield. It lies on the eastern bank of the Holme Valley and partially straddles the A616 road to Honley and Penistone....
, Hall Bower
Hall Bower
Hall Bower is a small hamlet lying 2 miles south of Huddersfield, West Yorkshire, England. It sits in the shadow of Castle Hill, just above the village of Newsome. Fields in the village next to Hall Bower CC were recently converted into rugby league pitches for use by Newsome Panthers ARLFC.....
, Taylor Hill, Primrose Hill, Armitage Bridge, Ashenhurst and Salford. Also included in the ward is the majority of Huddersfield town centre, the university
University of Huddersfield
The University of Huddersfield is a university located in Huddersfield, West Yorkshire, England.- History :The University traces its roots back to a Science and Mechanic Institute founded in 1825...
campus, halls of residence and other student accommodation.
The British National Party
British National Party
The British National Party is a British far-right political party formed as a splinter group from the National Front by John Tyndall in 1982...
succeeded in having a councillor elected for Heckmondwike in 2004. They increased their representation to three councillors at the 2006 elections when they gained a further councillor at Heckmondwike and one at Dewsbury East. The party lost one of their Heckmondwike seats at the 2008 election to Labour. The Dewsbury councillor subsequently quit the party to become an independent, before resigning the seat which was won by Labour at a bye-election in October 2008. The party therefore had a single councillor in 2009 who lost in 2010 and so there are currently no BNP Councillors. All the BNP councillors were in North Kirklees covering the Batley and Dewsbury areas.
In 2006 a "Save Huddersfield NHS" group was formed to campaign against plans to move medical services from Huddersfield Royal Infirmary
Huddersfield Royal Infirmary
The Huddersfield Royal Infirmary is a hospital situated in the English town of Huddersfield. It is situated in the suburb of Lindley and provides general services, emergency services and some specialist services....
to Halifax
Halifax, West Yorkshire
Halifax is a minster town, within the Metropolitan Borough of Calderdale in West Yorkshire, England. It has an urban area population of 82,056 in the 2001 Census. It is well-known as a centre of England's woollen manufacture from the 15th century onward, originally dealing through the Halifax Piece...
. The group fielded three candidates at the borough elections, and a local general practitioner
General practitioner
A general practitioner is a medical practitioner who treats acute and chronic illnesses and provides preventive care and health education for all ages and both sexes. They have particular skills in treating people with multiple health issues and comorbidities...
unseated a sitting Liberal Democrat councillor in the Crosland Moor & Netherton ward. The group ran candidates in the same ward in 2007 and 2008 but they failed to be elected.
Most of the other wards may be seen as "marginal", with different parties capturing them in different years.
2011 election
The elections on 5 May saw no change in overall control. Labour now has 27 seats, a gain of three seats from last year; the Conservatives have 21 seats, which is a gain of two seats, and the Liberal Democrats have 14 seats, which represents a loss of six seats. The Green Party has four seats, which is no change
Independents have three seats, which is a gain of one seat since last year.
2010 election
The elections held on 6 May 2010 saw no change in control. The Labour Party made a net gain of 2 seats to 24; The Liberal Democrats became the second largest group with 20 seats, a gain of 1; the Conservatives slipped to third place with 19 seats, a loss of 2. The Green Party's representation remained at 4 seats, the BNP lost their only seat, and the number of independent councillors remined at 2. Wards changing hands were Lindley (LD gain from Con), Holme Valley North (Ind gain from Con), Heckmondwike (Lab gain from BNP) and Crosland Moor & Netherton (Lab gain from Ind).
2009 change of control
On 21 January 2009 the political control of the council changed, and Labour and the Liberal Democrats formed a "partnership" administration. The vote to remove the minority Conservative administration was won by 46 votes to 23, with the Green councillors voting against the Tories. The leader of the council is a Labour councillor and the deputy leader a Liberal Democrat.
2008 election
Following the May 2008 elections, the Conservatives became the largest party grouping on the council, with one more seat than the Labour Party and two more than the Liberal Democrats. Following a bye-election for the Dewsbury East ward where Labour took a seat from the British National Party in October 2008, the composition of the council is:
- Conservative 22
- Labour 22
- Liberal Democrat 19
- Green 4
- BNP 1
- Save Huddersfield NHS 1
Summary of the May 2008 Kirklees Metropolitan Borough Council election results
|-
!colspan=2|Parties
!Seats
!Gains
!Losses
!Net
Gain/Loss
|-
|22||2||0||+2
|-
|21||1||2||-1
|-
|19||1||0||+1
|-
|2||0||1||-1
|-
|4||0||0||0
|-
|1||0||0||0
|-
|0||0||1||-1
|}
2007 election
The table below summarises the results of the local government election held in May 2007. 23 of the 69 seats were up for re-election. Each party is ordered by number of votes registered. No party won the 35 or more seats required for overall control, though the Labour Party
Labour Party (UK)
The Labour Party is a centre-left democratic socialist party in the United Kingdom. It surpassed the Liberal Party in general elections during the early 1920s, forming minority governments under Ramsay MacDonald in 1924 and 1929-1931. The party was in a wartime coalition from 1940 to 1945, after...
won the most seats. The administration of the council was decided at the Annual General Meeting on 23 May 2007. The Conservatives took control of the Council for the second consecutive year.
The votes and seats listed below for the Labour Party
Labour Party (UK)
The Labour Party is a centre-left democratic socialist party in the United Kingdom. It surpassed the Liberal Party in general elections during the early 1920s, forming minority governments under Ramsay MacDonald in 1924 and 1929-1931. The party was in a wartime coalition from 1940 to 1945, after...
also include candidates who stood as Labour Co-operative
Labour Co-operative
Labour and Co-operative describes those candidates in British elections standing on behalf of both the Labour Party and the Co-operative Party, based on a national agreement between the two parties....
candidates.
| Summary of the May 2007 Kirklees Metropolitan Borough Council election results | |||||||||
| Parties |
Seats | Gains | Losses | Net Gain/Loss |
Seats % | Votes % | Votes | +/- | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 22 | 2 | 0 | 31.2 | 26.8 | 32,851 | ||||
| 20 | 0 | 1 | |||||||
| 29.0 | 24.9 | 30,550 | |||||||
| 18 | 0 | 2 | |||||||
| 26.1 | 20.6 | 25,271 | |||||||
| 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4.3 | 16.2 | 19,891 | |||
| 4 | 1 | 0 | 5.8 | 8.2 | 9,999 | ||||
| 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1.4 | 1.4 | 1,700 | |||
| 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1.4 | 1.0 | 1,184 | |||
| 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0.4 | 526 | 0.0% | ||
| 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0.3 | 388 | N/A | ||
| 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0.1 | 169 | N/A | ||
| 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | 47 | |||
| Total | 69 | 122,576 | |||||||
2006 election
The table below summarises the results of the 2006 local government election. 23 of the 69 seats were up for re-election. Each party is ordered by number of votes registered. No party won the 35 or more seats required for overall control, though the Conservatives
Conservative Party (UK)
The Conservative Party, formally the Conservative and Unionist Party, is a centre-right political party in the United Kingdom that adheres to the philosophies of conservatism and British unionism. It is the largest political party in the UK, and is currently the largest single party in the House...
won the most seats.
Summary of the April 2006 Kirklees Metropolitan Borough Council election results
|-
!colspan=2|Parties
!Seats
!Gains
!Losses
!Net
Gain/Loss
!Seats %
!Votes %
!Votes
!+/-
|-
|20||3||1||+2||29.0||25.2||31,103||-3.0%
|-
|21||1||2||-1||30.4||23.6||29,200||-3.5%
|-
|20||1||5||-4||29.0||19.8||24,445||-7.8%
|-
|3||2||0||+2||4.3||18.5||22,914||+12.9%
|-
|3||0||0||0||4.3||8.3||10,300||-1.5%
|-
|1||1||0||+1||1.4||2.3||2,827||N/A
|-
|1||0||0||0||1.4||1.9||2,312||+0.9%
|-
|0||0||0||0||0||0.4||436||N/A
|-
|0||0||0||0||0||0.1||66||0.0%
|-
!colspan=2|Total!!69!! !! !! !! !! !!123,603!!
|}
2004 election
Due to ward boundary changes, all sixty-nine councillors were elected in June 2004. The size of the council was reduced from 72 to 69, so there was a net loss of three seats.
Summary of the June 2004 Kirklees Metropolitan Borough Council election results
|-
!colspan=2|Parties
!Seats
!Gains
!Losses
!Net
Gain/Loss
|-
|25||0||5||-5
|-
|22||6||0||+6
|-
|17||4||0||-4
|-
|3||0||0||0
|-
|1||0||1||-1
|-
|1||1||0||+1
|-
|0||0||1||-1
|}
Summary of election results 1973 - 2003
The first elections to Kirklees council were held on 10 May 1973, with the councillors serving as a shadow authority until 1 April of the next year. A system of elections by thirds was then introduced from 1975, with polls being held in three years out of four. This continued until 1982 when new ward boundaries were introduced, and an election of the whole council was held. Elections by thirds continued from that date until 2004.
| Election | Labour | Conservative | Liberal | Social Democratic Party |
Social and Liberal Democrats/ Liberal Democrats |
Independent | Green | Other | Control |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1973 | 45 | 14 | 8 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | Labour |
| 1975 | 36 | 28 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | Labour hold |
| 1976 | 25 | 50 | 9 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | Conservative gain from Labour |
| 1978 | 15 | 48 | 9 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | Conservative hold |
| 1979 | 32 | 35 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | Conservative lose to no overall control |
| 1980 | 44 | 25 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | Labour gain from no overall control |
| 1982 | 37 | 19 | 12 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | Labour hold |
| 1983 | 37 | 20 | 12 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | Labour hold |
| 1984 | 37 | 18 | 14 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | Labour hold |
| 1986 | 36 | 18 | 17 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | Labour hold |
| 1987 | 33 | 21 | 18 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | Labour lose to no overall control |
| 1988 | 33 | 23 | 0 | 0 | 15 | 1 | 0 | 0 | No overall control |
| 1990 | 45 | 15 | 0 | 0 | 12 | 0 | 0 | 0 | Labour gain from no overall control |
| 1992 | 41 | 19 | 0 | 0 | 10 | 2 | 0 | 0 | Labour hold |
| 1994 | 35 | 21 | 0 | 0 | 15 | 1 | 0 | 0 | Labour lose to no overall control |
| 1995 | 40 | 16 | 0 | 0 | 14 | 2 | 0 | 0 | Labour gain from no overall control |
| 1996 | 45 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 18 | 1 | 1 | 1 vacancy | Labour hold |
| 1998 | 43 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 20 | 0 | 2 | 0 | Labour hold |
| 1999 | 36 | 10 | 0 | 0 | 23 | 0 | 3 | 0 | Labour lose to no overall control |
| 2000 | 25 | 15 | 0 | 0 | 29 | 0 | 3 | 0 | No overall control |
| 2002 | 26 | 15 | 0 | 0 | 28 | 0 | 3 | 0 | No overall control |
| 2003 | 22 | 16 | 1 | 0 | 30 | 0 | 3 | 0 | No overall control |
Area committees
The borough council has divided its area into twelve areas, made up of groupings of wards. Area committees consist of the metropolitan borough councillors for the local wards, parish councillors and co-opted members of "partner agencies". The committees scrutinise local services, formulate community action plans and liaise with the community.The committee areas and their constituent wards are as follows:
- Batley (Batley East, Batley West)
- Birstall and Birkenshaw (Birstall, Birkenshaw)
- Colne Valley (Colne Valley, Golcar)
- Denby Dale (Denby Dale)
- Dewsbury (Dewsbury East, Dewsbury South, Dewsbury West)
- Holme Valley North (Holme Valley North)
- Holme Valley South (Holme Valley South)
- Huddersfield North (Ashbrow, Greenhead and Lindley)
- Huddersfield South (Almondbury, Crosland Moor & Netherton, Dalton & Newsome)
- Kirkburton (Kirkburton)
- Mirfield (Mirfield)
- Spen Valley (Cleckheaton, Heckmondwike and Liversedge & Gomersal)
Localities
A number of services in the borough are delivered on a "locality" basis. Examples include West Yorkshire PoliceWest Yorkshire Police
West Yorkshire Police is the territorial police force responsible for policing West Yorkshire in England. It is the fourth largest force in England and Wales by number of officers, with 5671 officers....
, National Health Service
National Health Service
The National Health Service is the shared name of three of the four publicly funded healthcare systems in the United Kingdom. They provide a comprehensive range of health services, the vast majority of which are free at the point of use to residents of the United Kingdom...
Primary Care Trusts, and the Kirklees Children and Young People Service.
The seven localities are:
- Batley, Birstall and Birkenshaw
- Denby Dale and Kirkburton
- Dewsbury and Mirfield
- Huddersfield North
- Huddersfield South
- Spen ValleySpen ValleySpen Valley may refer to:* The River Spen, in West Yorkshire, England* Spen Valley See also*The rise of the Spen Valley for a history of the area...
- The Valleys (The Colne and Holme Valleys)
Borough status and mayoralty
The shadow Kirklees District Council petitioned the privy council for a royal charterRoyal Charter
A royal charter is a formal document issued by a monarch as letters patent, granting a right or power to an individual or a body corporate. They were, and are still, used to establish significant organizations such as cities or universities. Charters should be distinguished from warrants and...
under section 245 of the Local Government Act 1972 granting the status of a borough
Borough status in the United Kingdom
Borough status in the United Kingdom is granted by royal charter to local government districts in England, Wales and Northern Ireland. The status is purely honorary, and does not give any additional powers to the council or inhabitants of the district...
from 1 April 1974. The grant of borough status entitled the chairman of the council to the title of "mayor
Mayor
In many countries, a Mayor is the highest ranking officer in the municipal government of a town or a large urban city....
", effectively continuing the mayoralties of the former boroughs of Dewsbury (1862), Huddersfield (1898), Batley (1869) and Spenborough (1955). The mayor is elected from among the councillors for a one-year term (the "civic year") at the council's annual meeting.
Kirklees is the most populated borough or district in England not to have city status. In 2001 it was announced that a grant of city status was to be made to an English town to mark the Golden Jubilee of Elizabeth II
Golden Jubilee of Elizabeth II
The Golden Jubilee of Queen Elizabeth II was the international celebration marking the 50th anniversary of the accession of Elizabeth II to the thrones of seven countries, upon the death of her father, George VI, on 6 February 1952, and was intended by the Queen to be both a commemoration of her 50...
, and Kirklees council indicated that it was considering applying on behalf of Huddersfield. An unofficial telephone poll by the Huddersfield Examiner found a slim majority against the proposal, and the council did not proceed with the application.
Freedom of the borough
Borough status also allows the council to confer the freedom of the borough on "persons of distinction". Since its formation Kirklees Borough Council has granted this right to two individuals and two groups:- 3rd Battalion Yorkshire VolunteersYorkshire VolunteersThe Yorkshire Volunteers was an infantry regiment of the British Territorial Army. The regiment was raised on 1 April 1967 and disbanded on 25 April 1993....
- (25 March 1979) On 25 March 1979 Kirklees Metropolitan Borough Council gave the Freedom of Kirklees to the 3rd Battalion of the Yorkshire Volunteers. The 3rd Battalion was at that time the Duke of Wellington's Regiment (West Riding)The Duke of Wellington's RegimentThe Duke of Wellington's Regiment was an infantry regiment of the British Army, forming part of the King's Division.In 1702 Colonel George Hastings, 8th Earl of Huntingdon, was authorised to raise a new regiment, which he did in and around the city of Gloucester. As was the custom in those days...
Territorial Army unit. However the freedom given by Kirklees to the 3rd battalion of the Yorkshire Volunteers did not permit any transfer to heirs or successors and effectively that freedom ceased when the battalion was amalgamated into the East and West Riding RegimentEast and West Riding RegimentThe East and West Riding Regiment was a regiment of the British Territorial Army from 1999 to 2006.-History:The regiment was formed in 1999 by the amalgamation of the 3rd Battalion, The Prince of Wales's Own Regiment of Yorkshire , the 3rd Battalion, The Duke of Wellington's Regiment and the...
on 1 July 1999. The East and West Riding Regiment ceased to exist on 6 June 2006, having been merged into the Yorkshire RegimentYorkshire RegimentThe Yorkshire Regiment is one of the largest infantry regiments of the British Army. The regiment is currently the only line infantry or rifles unit to represent a single geographical county in the new infantry structure, serving as the county regiment of Yorkshire covering the historical areas...
as its 4th Battalion. The Yorkshire Regiment requested the freedom to march to be transferred to them. On 25 October 2008 Kirklees Council transferred the Freedom of Huddersfield to the Yorkshire Regiment at a freedom parade held by the 3rd Battalion, formerly the Duke of Wellington's Regiment (West Riding).
- Sir William MallalieuJoseph MallalieuSir Joseph Percival William Mallalieu was a British Labour Party politician, journalist and author.Mallalieu was educated at the Dragon School in Oxford, Cheltenham College, Trinity College, Oxford and the University of Chicago. He was President of the Oxford Union in 1930 and a Rugby blue. He...
MP (27 January 1980) - The Rt Hon Betty BoothroydBetty BoothroydBetty Boothroyd, Baroness Boothroyd, OM, PC is a British politician, who served as Member of Parliament for West Bromwich and West Bromwich West from 1973 to 2000, initially for the Labour Party and, from 1992 to 2000, as Speaker of the House of Commons...
MP (20 November 1992) - Citizens of BesançonBesançonBesançon , is the capital and principal city of the Franche-Comté region in eastern France. It had a population of about 237,000 inhabitants in the metropolitan area in 2008...
, FranceFranceThe French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
(7 October 2005) - The Yorkshire Regiment (25 October 2008)
Coat of arms
Kirklees Borough Council was granted armorial bearingsCoat of arms
A coat of arms is a unique heraldic design on a shield or escutcheon or on a surcoat or tabard used to cover and protect armour and to identify the wearer. Thus the term is often stated as "coat-armour", because it was anciently displayed on the front of a coat of cloth...
by the College of Arms
College of Arms
The College of Arms, or Heralds’ College, is an office regulating heraldry and granting new armorial bearings for England, Wales and Northern Ireland...
by letters patent
Letters patent
Letters patent are a type of legal instrument in the form of a published written order issued by a monarch or president, generally granting an office, right, monopoly, title, or status to a person or corporation...
dated 24 June 1974. the blazon
Blazon
In heraldry and heraldic vexillology, a blazon is a formal description of a coat of arms, flag or similar emblem, from which the reader can reconstruct the appropriate image...
of the arms is as follows:
Vert on a bend Argent a bendlet wavy azure on a chief Or a pale between two cog-wheels azure on the pale a Paschal Lamb supporting a staff of the fourth flying therefrom a forked pennon argent charged with a cross gules; and for a Crest, On a wreath of the colours a ram's head affronty couped argent armed Or gorged with a mural crown sable masoned argent.
Supporters: On either side a lion guardant purpure resting the inner hind leg on a cross crosslet Or embellished in each of the four angles with a fleur de lis azure. Badge or device: A roundel purpure charged with a Lacy Knot Or all within a circle of eleven roses argent barbed and seeded proper.
The green colouring of the shield represents the fields, woods and moorland of the borough. The white stripe or bend represents the M62 motorway
M62 motorway
The M62 motorway is a west–east trans-Pennine motorway in Northern England, connecting the cities of Liverpool and Hull via Manchester and Leeds. The road also forms part of the unsigned Euroroutes E20 and E22...
, while the blue wave upon it is for the many waterways of the area. On the chief or upper third of the shield is a paschal lamb
Paschal Lamb
Paschal Lamb can refer to:* Korban Pesach, in Judaism* Lamb of God, in Christianity* Sacrificial lamb...
, symbol of St John the Baptist. John was the patron saint of woolworkers, and the inclusion of the emblem represents the historic woollen industry. The cogwheels are for the modern engineering industries. The crest is a ram's head, found in the arms of the County Borough of Huddersfield and the Mirfield Urban District Council. The black mural crown stands for the district's status as a borough, recalling a city wall. The supporters
Supporters
In heraldry, supporters are figures usually placed on either side of the shield and depicted holding it up. These figures may be real or imaginary animals, human figures, and in rare cases plants or inanimate objects...
are purple lions from the arms of the de Laci family, medieval lords of Huddersfield. For heraldic "difference" from other lion supporters a distinctive cross has been placed below their inner feet. This device, combining the symbols of Christ and the Virgin Mary, represents the priory from which the borough took its name.
Parish and town councils
In five areas of the borough there is a second tier of local government: the civil parish. Parish or town councils have limited powers of a purely local character, such as owning or maintaining allotments, burial grounds, footpaths and war memorials. Four of the parishes were formed as successor parishSuccessor parish
Successor parishes are civil parishes with a parish council created by the Local Government Act 1972 in England. They replaced, with the same boundaries, a selected group of urban districts and municipal boroughs that were abolished in 1974. Most successor parish councils exercised the right to...
es to urban districts abolished in 1974. The fifth was formed in 1988. The five town or parish councils are:
| Council | Area covered | Number of councillors | Parish Wards | Formed |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Denby Dale Parish Council | Denby Dale Denby Dale Denby Dale is a village and civil parish in the metropolitan borough of Kirklees in West Yorkshire, England, to the South East of Huddersfield. As a civil parish it covers the villages of Denby Dale, Lower Denby, Upper Denby, Upper Cumberworth, Lower Cumberworth, Skelmanthorpe, Emley, Emley... , Upper Upper Cumberworth Upper Cumberworth is a small village in West Yorkshire, England, within the Civil parish of Denby Dale and the Diocese of Wakefield. It is between the villages of Denby Dale and Shepley, above the village of Lower Cumberworth... and Lower Cumberworth Lower Cumberworth Lower Cumberworth is a village in the Borough of Kirklees in West Yorkshire, England, to the south east of Huddersfield. The civil parish of Denby Dale covers the village. The parish council gave the population of the villages of Upper and Lower Cumberworth as 1,222 in the 2001 Census. The village... , Upper Upper Denby Upper Denby is a village within the civil parish of Denby Dale, and the borough of Kirklees in West Yorkshire, England. Lying to the South East of Huddersfield, on an east facing slope of the Pennines, it occupies a position 250m above sea level. The southern edge of the village is bordered by the... and Lower Denby, Birdsedge Birdsedge Birdsedge is a small village in the borough of Kirklees in West Yorkshire, England, on the edge of Yorkshire's Pennine hills, standing just below one thousand feet above sea level. It is located on the A629 about nine miles south of Huddersfield and about four miles north of Penistone... and High Flatts, Scissett Scissett Scissett is a village in West Yorkshire, England. It is 14 km south east of Huddersfield and 16 km north west of Barnsley. According to the 2001 census, the village had a population of 1,324... , Skelmanthorpe Skelmanthorpe Skelmanthorpe is a village in West Yorkshire, England with a population of 4,198 according to the 2001 census. It is part of the parish of Denby Dale in the Kirklees borough.... and the hamlet of Kitchenroyd, Emley Emley Emley can refer to one of two small British villages:*Emley, West Yorkshire, the location of the famous Emley Moor transmission tower*Emley, Surrey, also known as Bowlhead Green, close to the village of Thursley... and Emley Moor and Clayton West Clayton West Clayton West is a village in Kirklees, West Yorkshire, England. It had a population of 2,648 . and 2,704 in 2008. It is south east of Huddersfield and north west of Barnsley.It is in the parish of Clayton West and High Hoyland... |
17 | Clayton West, Denby & Cumberworth, Emley, Skelmanthorpe | Successor to Denby Dale UDC 1973 |
| Holme Valley Holme Valley Holme Valley is a large civil parish in the Metropolitan Borough of Kirklees in West Yorkshire, England. It has a population of 25,049 . Its administrative centre is in Holmfirth. Other sizeable settlements in the parish include, Brockholes, Honley and New Mill... Parish Council |
Holmfirth and Honley, Brockholes Brockholes Brockholes is a small village in West Yorkshire, England in the administrative area of Kirklees Metropolitan Council and Holme Valley Parish Council. It is within the Postal district of Holmfirth.... , Cinderhills, Hade Edge, Hepworth Hepworth - Places :* Hepworth, Suffolk* Hepworth, West Yorkshire * Hepworth, Ontario- People :* Dame Barbara Hepworth, British sculptor and artist* Cecil Hepworth, British film director, producer and scriptwriter... , Hinchliffe Mill, Holmbridge, Holme Holme -England:* Holme, Bedfordshire* Holme, Cambridgeshire* Holme, Cumbria* Holme, Lincolnshire* Holme, North Yorkshire* Holme, Nottinghamshire* Holme, West Yorkshire* Holme Fell, Cumbria* Holme Valley, West Yorkshire* Holme-next-the-Sea* Holme-on-Spalding-Moor... , Jackson Bridge Jackson Bridge Jackson Bridge is a small village in the civil parish of Holme Valley in the Metropolitan Borough of Kirklees in West Yorkshire, England and within the postal district of Holmfirth.It is situated next to the A616, Huddersfield to Penistone, road.... , Netherthong Netherthong Netherthong is a small village near the town of Holmfirth. It lies in the Holme Valley in the metropolitan borough of Kirklees in West Yorkshire, England. The village is on the B6107 road to Meltham from the main A6024 Woodhead Road through the Holme Valley from Honley to Holmfirth... , New Mill New Mill New Mill, West Yorkshire, England, is a small, semi-rural village near the town of Holmfirth. It is in the metropolitan borough of Kirklees and the civil parish of Holme Valley. The village had a population of 1,259 in the 2001 census.... , Scholes, Thongsbridge, Upperthong, Wooldale |
23 | Brockholes, Fulstone, Hepworth, Holmfirth Central, Honley Central and East, Honley South, Honley West, Netherthong, Scholes, Upper Holme Valley, Upperthong, Wooldale | Successor to Holmfirth UDC 1973, renamed Holme Valley 1975. |
| Kirkburton Parish Council | Farnley Tyas Farnley Tyas Farnley Tyas is a small village in West Yorkshire, England situated 3 miles south east of Huddersfield. It is located on a hilltop situated between Almondbury, Castle Hill, Thurstonland and Honley... , Flockton Flockton Flockton is a village in the Kirklees district of West Yorkshire, England halfway between Huddersfield and Wakefield with a population of 1,410 .... , Grange Moor Grange Moor Grange Moor is a village between Huddersfield and Wakefield in Kirklees, West Yorkshire, England. The village is represented on Kirkburton Parish council and is in the Kirkburton ward of Kirklees Council.... , Highburton Highburton Highburton is part of the township of Kirkburton, a village in the county of West Yorkshire, England. It is located five miles southeast of Huddersfield... , Kirkburton Kirkburton Kirkburton is a village, civil parish and local government ward in the metropolitan county of West Yorkshire, England, south east of Huddersfield, in the Metropolitan Borough of Kirklees... , Kirkheaton Kirkheaton Kirkheaton is a village north east of Huddersfield, West Yorkshire, England and has a population of 4,209 together with Upper Heaton.- Education :Kirkheaton has a primary school, Kirkheaton Primary School, which is situated on New Road.... , Lepton Lepton A lepton is an elementary particle and a fundamental constituent of matter. The best known of all leptons is the electron which governs nearly all of chemistry as it is found in atoms and is directly tied to all chemical properties. Two main classes of leptons exist: charged leptons , and neutral... , Shelley Shelley -Meaning:In many baby name books, Shelley is listed as meaning "From the meadow on the ledge" or "clearing on a bank". It is Old English in origin. As with many other names , Shelley is today a name given almost exclusively to girls after historically being male... , Shepley and Thurston |
25 | Flockton, Kirkburton, Kirkheaton, Lepton, Lepton & Whitley Upper, Shelley, Shepley, Thurstonland/Farnley Tyas | Successor to Kirkburton UDC 1973 |
| Meltham Town Council | Crosland Edge, Meltham Meltham Meltham is a small town and civil parish within the Metropolitan Borough of Kirklees, in West Yorkshire, England. It lies in the Holme Valley, below Wessenden Moor, four and a half miles south-west of Huddersfield on the edge of the Peak District National Park... , Helme Helme, West Yorkshire Helme is a small village in the Kirklees District, in the county of West Yorkshire, England. It is near the town of Meltham and Blackmoorfoot Reservoir.-References:*http://www.ukvillages.co.uk/Place/12798/Helme-West+Yorkshire... , Wilshaw |
12 | None | Successor to Meltham UDC 1973 |
| Mirfield Town Council | Battyeford Battyeford Battyeford is a village in West Yorkshire, England west of the town of Mirfield.... , Mirfield, Northorpe, Lower Hopton and Upper Hopton |
16 | Battyeford, Crossley, Eastthorpe, Hopton, Northorpe | Formed 1988 |
The remainder of the borough is unparished
Unparished area
In England, an unparished area is an area that is not covered by a civil parish. Most urbanised districts of England are either entirely or partly unparished. Many towns and some cities in otherwise rural districts are also unparished areas and therefore no longer have a town council or city...
, with the borough council exercising parish powers.
1997 to date
Since 1997 Kirklees has been divided into five constituencies: four being entirely within the borough, while two wards are included in the Wakefield constituency.The boundaries of two of the Colne Valley and Huddersfield constituencies were virtually unchanged from those defined in 1983. Denby Dale and Kirkburton wards were transferred from Dewsbury to Wakefield, with the former constituency receiving Heckmondwike ward from Batley and Spen.
The constituencies were first used at the 1997 general election
United Kingdom general election, 1997
The United Kingdom general election, 1997 was held on 1 May 1997, more than five years after the previous election on 9 April 1992, to elect 659 members to the British House of Commons. The Labour Party ended its 18 years in opposition under the leadership of Tony Blair, and won the general...
, when the Labour Party came to power in a landslide, gaining all the seats in the borough. The party held the seats at the subsequent elections of 2001
United Kingdom general election, 2001
The United Kingdom general election, 2001 was held on Thursday 7 June 2001 to elect 659 members to the British House of Commons. It was dubbed "the quiet landslide" by the media, as the Labour Party was re-elected with another landslide result and only suffered a net loss of 6 seats...
and 2005
United Kingdom general election, 2005
The United Kingdom general election of 2005 was held on Thursday, 5 May 2005 to elect 646 members to the British House of Commons. The Labour Party under Tony Blair won its third consecutive victory, but with a majority of 66, reduced from 160....
.
| Constituency | Wards | Member of parliament | Party | Majority | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Batley and Spen Borough Constituency | The following wards continued to formulate the Batley seat from 1997-2005: Batley East, Batley West, Birstall and Birkenshaw, Cleckheaton and Spen. At the 2010 general elections the boundary commission moved Heckmondwike from Dewsbury into the Batley seat and moved Hanging Heaton from the Batley seat into the Dewsbury seat |
Mike Wood | Labour Party Labour Party (UK) The Labour Party is a centre-left democratic socialist party in the United Kingdom. It surpassed the Liberal Party in general elections during the early 1920s, forming minority governments under Ramsay MacDonald in 1924 and 1929-1931. The party was in a wartime coalition from 1940 to 1945, after... |
2010: 4,406 (over Conservatives) | |
| 2005 United Kingdom general election, 2005 The United Kingdom general election of 2005 was held on Thursday, 5 May 2005 to elect 646 members to the British House of Commons. The Labour Party under Tony Blair won its third consecutive victory, but with a majority of 66, reduced from 160.... : 5,788 (over Conservatives) |
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| 2001 United Kingdom general election, 2001 The United Kingdom general election, 2001 was held on Thursday 7 June 2001 to elect 659 members to the British House of Commons. It was dubbed "the quiet landslide" by the media, as the Labour Party was re-elected with another landslide result and only suffered a net loss of 6 seats... : 5,064 (over Conservatives) |
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| 1997 United Kingdom general election, 1997 The United Kingdom general election, 1997 was held on 1 May 1997, more than five years after the previous election on 9 April 1992, to elect 659 members to the British House of Commons. The Labour Party ended its 18 years in opposition under the leadership of Tony Blair, and won the general... : 6,141 (over Conservatives) |
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| Colne Valley County Constituency Colne Valley (UK Parliament constituency) Colne Valley is a county constituency represented in the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. It elects one Member of Parliament by the first past the post system of election. In the post-war period the seat had the distinction of being one of the few Labour/Liberal marginals,... |
Colne Valley West, Crosland Moor, Golcar, Holme Valley North, Holme Valley South and Lindley. |
Jason McCartney Jason McCartney (politician) Jason Alexander McCartney is a British Conservative Party politician who serves as the Member of Parliament for Colne Valley in West Yorkshire.-Early career:... |
Conservative Party Conservative Party (UK) The Conservative Party, formally the Conservative and Unionist Party, is a centre-right political party in the United Kingdom that adheres to the philosophies of conservatism and British unionism. It is the largest political party in the UK, and is currently the largest single party in the House... |
2010: 4,837 (over Liberal Democrats) | |
| Kali Mountford Kali Mountford Kali Carol Jean Mountford is a British Labour Party politician who served as the Member of Parliament for Colne Valley from 1997 until she retired from the House of Commons at the 2010 general election.-Early life:... |
Labour Party Labour Party (UK) The Labour Party is a centre-left democratic socialist party in the United Kingdom. It surpassed the Liberal Party in general elections during the early 1920s, forming minority governments under Ramsay MacDonald in 1924 and 1929-1931. The party was in a wartime coalition from 1940 to 1945, after... |
2005 United Kingdom general election, 2005 The United Kingdom general election of 2005 was held on Thursday, 5 May 2005 to elect 646 members to the British House of Commons. The Labour Party under Tony Blair won its third consecutive victory, but with a majority of 66, reduced from 160.... : 1,501 (over Conservatives) |
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| 2001 United Kingdom general election, 2001 The United Kingdom general election, 2001 was held on Thursday 7 June 2001 to elect 659 members to the British House of Commons. It was dubbed "the quiet landslide" by the media, as the Labour Party was re-elected with another landslide result and only suffered a net loss of 6 seats... : 4,639 (over Conservatives) |
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| 1997 United Kingdom general election, 1997 The United Kingdom general election, 1997 was held on 1 May 1997, more than five years after the previous election on 9 April 1992, to elect 659 members to the British House of Commons. The Labour Party ended its 18 years in opposition under the leadership of Tony Blair, and won the general... : 4,840 (over Conservatives) |
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| Dewsbury County Constituency Dewsbury (UK Parliament constituency) Dewsbury is a constituency represented in the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. It elects one Member of Parliament by the first past the post system of election... |
The following wards continued to formulate the Dewsbury seat from 1997-2005: Dewsbury East, Dewsbury West, Heckmondwike, Mirfield and Thornhill. At the 2010 general elections the boundary commission moved Heckmondwike from Dewsbury into the Batley seat and moved Hanging Heaton from the Batley seat into the Dewsbury seat. In addition, it moved the two wards of Denby Dale and Kirkburton from Wakefield into Dewsbury |
Simon Reevell Simon Reevell Simon Justin Reevell is a British barrister and Conservative Party politician. He has been Member of Parliament for Dewsbury in West Yorkshire since winning the seat at the 2010 election.-Early life and Career:... |
Conservative Party Conservative Party (UK) The Conservative Party, formally the Conservative and Unionist Party, is a centre-right political party in the United Kingdom that adheres to the philosophies of conservatism and British unionism. It is the largest political party in the UK, and is currently the largest single party in the House... |
2010: 1,526 (over Labour) | |
| Shahid Malik Shahid Malik Shahid Rafique Malik is a British Labour Party politician who became the Member of Parliament for Dewsbury in 2005 after defeating Conservative Sayeeda Warsi, now Conservative Chair Baroness Warsi and remained so till 2010 when Conservative candidate Simon Reevell won Dewsbury... |
Labour Party Labour Party (UK) The Labour Party is a centre-left democratic socialist party in the United Kingdom. It surpassed the Liberal Party in general elections during the early 1920s, forming minority governments under Ramsay MacDonald in 1924 and 1929-1931. The party was in a wartime coalition from 1940 to 1945, after... |
2005 United Kingdom general election, 2005 The United Kingdom general election of 2005 was held on Thursday, 5 May 2005 to elect 646 members to the British House of Commons. The Labour Party under Tony Blair won its third consecutive victory, but with a majority of 66, reduced from 160.... : 4,615 (over Conservatives) |
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| Ann Taylor Ann Taylor, Baroness Taylor of Bolton Winifred Ann Taylor, Baroness Taylor of Bolton, PC is a British Labour Party politician, who was Minister for International Defence and Security, based at both the Ministry of Defence and the Foreign and Commonwealth Office, from October 2008 until 11 May 2010.-Member of Parliament:Taylor was the... |
2001 United Kingdom general election, 2001 The United Kingdom general election, 2001 was held on Thursday 7 June 2001 to elect 659 members to the British House of Commons. It was dubbed "the quiet landslide" by the media, as the Labour Party was re-elected with another landslide result and only suffered a net loss of 6 seats... : 8,323 (over Conservatives) |
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| 1997 United Kingdom general election, 1997 The United Kingdom general election, 1997 was held on 1 May 1997, more than five years after the previous election on 9 April 1992, to elect 659 members to the British House of Commons. The Labour Party ended its 18 years in opposition under the leadership of Tony Blair, and won the general... : 4,840 (over Conservatives) |
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| Huddersfield Borough Constituency Huddersfield (UK Parliament constituency) -Elections in the 2000s:-Elections in the 1990s:- Notes and references :... |
Almondbury, Birkby, Dalton, Deighton, Newsome and Paddock. |
Barry Sheerman Barry Sheerman Barry John Sheerman is a British Labour Co-operative politician who has been the Member of Parliament for Huddersfield since the 1979 general election.-Early life:... |
Labour Co-op Labour Co-operative Labour and Co-operative describes those candidates in British elections standing on behalf of both the Labour Party and the Co-operative Party, based on a national agreement between the two parties.... |
2010: 4,472 (over Conservatives) | |
| 2005 United Kingdom general election, 2005 The United Kingdom general election of 2005 was held on Thursday, 5 May 2005 to elect 646 members to the British House of Commons. The Labour Party under Tony Blair won its third consecutive victory, but with a majority of 66, reduced from 160.... : 8,351 (over Conservatives) |
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| 2001 United Kingdom general election, 2001 The United Kingdom general election, 2001 was held on Thursday 7 June 2001 to elect 659 members to the British House of Commons. It was dubbed "the quiet landslide" by the media, as the Labour Party was re-elected with another landslide result and only suffered a net loss of 6 seats... : 10,046 (over Conservatives) |
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| 1997 United Kingdom general election, 1997 The United Kingdom general election, 1997 was held on 1 May 1997, more than five years after the previous election on 9 April 1992, to elect 659 members to the British House of Commons. The Labour Party ended its 18 years in opposition under the leadership of Tony Blair, and won the general... : 15,848 (over Conservatives) |
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| Wakefield County Constituency Wakefield (UK Parliament constituency) Wakefield is a county constituency represented in the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. It elects one Member of Parliament by the first past the post system of election.-Boundaries:... |
At the 2010 general elections the boundary commission moved Denby Dale and Kirkburton wards out of Wakefield seat and into the Dewsbury seat Remainder of constituency composed of wards of the Metropolitan Borough of Wakefield |
Mary Creagh Mary Creagh Mary Helen Creagh is a British Labour Party politician and Member of Parliament for Wakefield since 2005. She was appointed to the shadow cabinet on 7 October 2010.- Background :... |
Labour Party Labour Party (UK) The Labour Party is a centre-left democratic socialist party in the United Kingdom. It surpassed the Liberal Party in general elections during the early 1920s, forming minority governments under Ramsay MacDonald in 1924 and 1929-1931. The party was in a wartime coalition from 1940 to 1945, after... |
2010: 1,613 (over Conservatives) | |
| 2005 United Kingdom general election, 2005 The United Kingdom general election of 2005 was held on Thursday, 5 May 2005 to elect 646 members to the British House of Commons. The Labour Party under Tony Blair won its third consecutive victory, but with a majority of 66, reduced from 160.... : 5,154 (over Conservatives) |
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| David Hinchliffe David Hinchliffe David Martin Hinchliffe was Labour Member of Parliament for Wakefield from 1987 to 2005 when he stood down and was replaced by Mary Creagh.-Early life:... |
2001 United Kingdom general election, 2001 The United Kingdom general election, 2001 was held on Thursday 7 June 2001 to elect 659 members to the British House of Commons. It was dubbed "the quiet landslide" by the media, as the Labour Party was re-elected with another landslide result and only suffered a net loss of 6 seats... : 7,954 (over Conservatives) |
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| 1997 United Kingdom general election, 1997 The United Kingdom general election, 1997 was held on 1 May 1997, more than five years after the previous election on 9 April 1992, to elect 659 members to the British House of Commons. The Labour Party ended its 18 years in opposition under the leadership of Tony Blair, and won the general... : 14,604 (over Conservatives) |
1983 to 1997
The 1983 general electionUnited Kingdom general election, 1983
The 1983 United Kingdom general election was held on 9 June 1983. It gave the Conservative Party under Margaret Thatcher the most decisive election victory since that of Labour in 1945...
was the first at which constituencies based on the administrative areas created in 1974 were used. Kirklees was divided into four constituencies. The Conservative Party polled well in the 1983 election, and took two of the borough's constituencies. Labour held Huddersfield, while the Liberals, running in an alliance
SDP-Liberal Alliance
The SDP–Liberal Alliance was an electoral pact formed by the Social Democratic Party and the Liberal Party in the United Kingdom which was in existence from 1981 to 1988, when the bulk of the two parties merged to form the Social and Liberal Democrats, later referred to as simply the Liberal...
with the Social Democrats
Social Democratic Party (UK)
The Social Democratic Party was a political party in the United Kingdom that was created on 26 March 1981 and existed until 1988. It was founded by four senior Labour Party 'moderates', dubbed the 'Gang of Four': Roy Jenkins, David Owen, Bill Rodgers and Shirley Williams...
, held Colne Valley. In the following election in 1987
United Kingdom general election, 1987
The United Kingdom general election of 1987 was held on 11 June 1987, to elect 650 members to the British House of Commons. The election was the third consecutive election victory for the Conservative Party under the leadership of Margaret Thatcher, who became the first Prime Minister since the 2nd...
the Labour vote increased slightly, and they gained Dewsbury from the Conservatives. At the same time the Alliance vote fell, and the Conservatives took Colne Valley. The four MPs elected in 1992 were all returned in 1997.
| Constituency | Wards | Member of parliament | Party | Majority | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Batley and Spen Borough Constituency | Batley East, Batley West, Birstall and Birkenshaw, Cleckheaton, Heckmondwike and Spen |
Elizabeth Peacock Elizabeth Peacock Elizabeth Peacock is a British Conservative politician and former Member of Parliament for the West Yorkshire constituency of Batley and Spen.... |
Conservative Party Conservative Party (UK) The Conservative Party, formally the Conservative and Unionist Party, is a centre-right political party in the United Kingdom that adheres to the philosophies of conservatism and British unionism. It is the largest political party in the UK, and is currently the largest single party in the House... |
1992 United Kingdom general election, 1992 The United Kingdom general election of 1992 was held on 9 April 1992, and was the fourth consecutive victory for the Conservative Party. This election result was one of the biggest surprises in 20th Century politics, as polling leading up to the day of the election showed Labour under leader Neil... : 1,408 (over Labour) |
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| 1987 United Kingdom general election, 1987 The United Kingdom general election of 1987 was held on 11 June 1987, to elect 650 members to the British House of Commons. The election was the third consecutive election victory for the Conservative Party under the leadership of Margaret Thatcher, who became the first Prime Minister since the 2nd... : 1,362 (over Labour) |
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| 1983 United Kingdom general election, 1983 The 1983 United Kingdom general election was held on 9 June 1983. It gave the Conservative Party under Margaret Thatcher the most decisive election victory since that of Labour in 1945... : 870 (over Labour) |
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| Colne Valley County Constituency Colne Valley (UK Parliament constituency) Colne Valley is a county constituency represented in the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. It elects one Member of Parliament by the first past the post system of election. In the post-war period the seat had the distinction of being one of the few Labour/Liberal marginals,... |
Colne Valley West, Crosland Moor, Golcar, Holme Valley North, Holme Valley South and Lindley. |
Graham Riddick Graham Riddick Graham Edward Galloway Riddick was the Conservative Party Member of Parliament for Colne Valley in West Yorkshire, England from 1987 to 1997.-Family and early life:... |
Conservative Party Conservative Party (UK) The Conservative Party, formally the Conservative and Unionist Party, is a centre-right political party in the United Kingdom that adheres to the philosophies of conservatism and British unionism. It is the largest political party in the UK, and is currently the largest single party in the House... |
1992 United Kingdom general election, 1992 The United Kingdom general election of 1992 was held on 9 April 1992, and was the fourth consecutive victory for the Conservative Party. This election result was one of the biggest surprises in 20th Century politics, as polling leading up to the day of the election showed Labour under leader Neil... : 7,225 (over Labour) |
|
| 1987 United Kingdom general election, 1987 The United Kingdom general election of 1987 was held on 11 June 1987, to elect 650 members to the British House of Commons. The election was the third consecutive election victory for the Conservative Party under the leadership of Margaret Thatcher, who became the first Prime Minister since the 2nd... : 1,677 (over Liberal / Alliance) |
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| Richard Wainwright | Liberal / Alliance Liberal Party (UK) The Liberal Party was one of the two major political parties of the United Kingdom during the 19th and early 20th centuries. It was a third party of negligible importance throughout the latter half of the 20th Century, before merging with the Social Democratic Party in 1988 to form the present day... |
1983 United Kingdom general election, 1983 The 1983 United Kingdom general election was held on 9 June 1983. It gave the Conservative Party under Margaret Thatcher the most decisive election victory since that of Labour in 1945... : 3,146 (over Conservatives) |
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| Dewsbury County Constituency Dewsbury (UK Parliament constituency) Dewsbury is a constituency represented in the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. It elects one Member of Parliament by the first past the post system of election... |
Denby Dale, Dewsbury East, Dewsbury West, Kirkburton, Mirfield and Thornhill. |
Ann Taylor Ann Taylor, Baroness Taylor of Bolton Winifred Ann Taylor, Baroness Taylor of Bolton, PC is a British Labour Party politician, who was Minister for International Defence and Security, based at both the Ministry of Defence and the Foreign and Commonwealth Office, from October 2008 until 11 May 2010.-Member of Parliament:Taylor was the... |
Labour Party Labour Party (UK) The Labour Party is a centre-left democratic socialist party in the United Kingdom. It surpassed the Liberal Party in general elections during the early 1920s, forming minority governments under Ramsay MacDonald in 1924 and 1929-1931. The party was in a wartime coalition from 1940 to 1945, after... |
1992 United Kingdom general election, 1992 The United Kingdom general election of 1992 was held on 9 April 1992, and was the fourth consecutive victory for the Conservative Party. This election result was one of the biggest surprises in 20th Century politics, as polling leading up to the day of the election showed Labour under leader Neil... : 634 (over Conservatives)) |
|
| 1987 United Kingdom general election, 1987 The United Kingdom general election of 1987 was held on 11 June 1987, to elect 650 members to the British House of Commons. The election was the third consecutive election victory for the Conservative Party under the leadership of Margaret Thatcher, who became the first Prime Minister since the 2nd... : 445 (over Conservatives) |
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| John Whitfield John Whitfield (politician) John Whitfield is a British Conservative Party politician.Whitfield was elected Member of Parliament for the normally Labour seat of Dewsbury in the Conservative landslide at the 1983 general election... |
Conservative Party Conservative Party (UK) The Conservative Party, formally the Conservative and Unionist Party, is a centre-right political party in the United Kingdom that adheres to the philosophies of conservatism and British unionism. It is the largest political party in the UK, and is currently the largest single party in the House... |
1983 United Kingdom general election, 1983 The 1983 United Kingdom general election was held on 9 June 1983. It gave the Conservative Party under Margaret Thatcher the most decisive election victory since that of Labour in 1945... : 2,068 (over Labour) |
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| Huddersfield Borough Constituency Huddersfield (UK Parliament constituency) -Elections in the 2000s:-Elections in the 1990s:- Notes and references :... |
Almondbury, Birkby, Dalton, Deighton, Newsome and Paddock. |
Barry Sheerman Barry Sheerman Barry John Sheerman is a British Labour Co-operative politician who has been the Member of Parliament for Huddersfield since the 1979 general election.-Early life:... |
Labour Party Labour Party (UK) The Labour Party is a centre-left democratic socialist party in the United Kingdom. It surpassed the Liberal Party in general elections during the early 1920s, forming minority governments under Ramsay MacDonald in 1924 and 1929-1931. The party was in a wartime coalition from 1940 to 1945, after... |
1992 United Kingdom general election, 1992 The United Kingdom general election of 1992 was held on 9 April 1992, and was the fourth consecutive victory for the Conservative Party. This election result was one of the biggest surprises in 20th Century politics, as polling leading up to the day of the election showed Labour under leader Neil... : 7,258 (over Conservatives) |
|
| 1987 United Kingdom general election, 1987 The United Kingdom general election of 1987 was held on 11 June 1987, to elect 650 members to the British House of Commons. The election was the third consecutive election victory for the Conservative Party under the leadership of Margaret Thatcher, who became the first Prime Minister since the 2nd... : 7,278 (over Conservatives) |
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| 1983 United Kingdom general election, 1983 The 1983 United Kingdom general election was held on 9 June 1983. It gave the Conservative Party under Margaret Thatcher the most decisive election victory since that of Labour in 1945... : 3,955 (over Conservatives) |
1974 to 1983
Parliamentary constituencies in England and Wales continued to be defined in terms of the boroughs and districts abolished in 1974 until a general redistribution of seats in 1983. Accordingly, Kirklees was divided between seven constituencies, which had first been used in the 1950 general electionUnited Kingdom general election, 1950
The 1950 United Kingdom general election was the first general election ever after a full term of a Labour government. Despite polling over one and a half million votes more than the Conservatives, the election, held on 23 February 1950 resulted in Labour receiving a slim majority of just five...
.
| Constituency | Former administrative areas | Member of parliament | Party | Majority | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Batley and Morley Borough Constituency Batley and Morley (UK Parliament constituency) Batley and Morley was a parliamentary constituency centred on the towns of Batley and Morley in West Yorkshire. It returned one Member of Parliament to the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom.... |
Municipal Borough of Batley Also included the former Municipal Borough of Morley in the City of Leeds City of Leeds The City of Leeds is a local government district of West Yorkshire, England, governed by Leeds City Council, with the status of a city and metropolitan borough. The metropolitan district includes Leeds and the towns of Farsley, Garforth, Guiseley, Horsforth, Morley, Otley, Pudsey, Rothwell,... . |
Kenneth Woolmer | Labour Party Labour Party (UK) The Labour Party is a centre-left democratic socialist party in the United Kingdom. It surpassed the Liberal Party in general elections during the early 1920s, forming minority governments under Ramsay MacDonald in 1924 and 1929-1931. The party was in a wartime coalition from 1940 to 1945, after... |
1979 United Kingdom general election, 1979 The United Kingdom general election of 1979 was held on 3 May 1979 to elect 635 members to the British House of Commons. The Conservative Party, led by Margaret Thatcher ousted the incumbent Labour government of James Callaghan with a parliamentary majority of 43 seats... : 5,352 (over Conservatives) |
|
| A D D Broughton | October 1974 United Kingdom general election, October 1974 The United Kingdom general election of October 1974 took place on 10 October 1974 to elect 635 members to the British House of Commons. It was the second general election of that year and resulted in the Labour Party led by Harold Wilson, winning by a tiny majority of 3 seats.The election of... : 8,248 (over Conservatives) |
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| February 1974 United Kingdom general election, February 1974 The United Kingdom's general election of February 1974 was held on the 28th of that month. It was the first of two United Kingdom general elections held that year, and the first election since the Second World War not to produce an overall majority in the House of Commons for the winning party,... : 7,091 (over Conservatives) |
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| Brighouse and Spenborough Borough Constituency Brighouse and Spenborough (UK Parliament constituency) Brighouse and Spenborough was a parliamentary constituency in the West Riding of Yorkshire, comprising the areas of the two municipal boroughs of Brighouse and Spenborough... |
Municipal Borough of Spenborough Spenborough Spenborough was, from 1915 to 1974, a local government district in the administrative county of Yorkshire, West Riding.Spenborough was created as an urban district in 1915 by the merger of Cleckheaton, Gomersal and Liversedge urban districts... Also included the former Municipal Borough of Brighouse Brighouse Brighouse is a town within the Metropolitan Borough of Calderdale, in West Yorkshire, England. It is situated on the River Calder, east of Halifax in the Pennines. It is served by Junction 25 of the M62 motorway and Brighouse railway station on the Caldervale Line and Huddersfield Line. In the... in the Metropolitan Borough of Calderdale. |
Gary Waller Gary Peter Anthony Waller Gary Peter Anthony Waller is a British Conservative politician. He was originally MP for Brighouse and Spenborough from 1979 until 1983, when after boundary changes abolished the seat, he was elected for nearby Keighley – defeating the Labour incumbent Bob Cryer.At the 1997 general... |
Conservative Party Conservative Party (UK) The Conservative Party, formally the Conservative and Unionist Party, is a centre-right political party in the United Kingdom that adheres to the philosophies of conservatism and British unionism. It is the largest political party in the UK, and is currently the largest single party in the House... |
1979 United Kingdom general election, 1979 The United Kingdom general election of 1979 was held on 3 May 1979 to elect 635 members to the British House of Commons. The Conservative Party, led by Margaret Thatcher ousted the incumbent Labour government of James Callaghan with a parliamentary majority of 43 seats... : 1,734 (over Labour) |
|
| Colin Jackson Colin Jackson (UK politician) George Colin Jackson was a British Labour Party politician, barrister, lecturer and writer.He was twice Member of Parliament for the marginal constituency of Brighouse and Spenborough, in West Yorkshire... |
Labour Party Labour Party (UK) The Labour Party is a centre-left democratic socialist party in the United Kingdom. It surpassed the Liberal Party in general elections during the early 1920s, forming minority governments under Ramsay MacDonald in 1924 and 1929-1931. The party was in a wartime coalition from 1940 to 1945, after... |
October 1974 United Kingdom general election, October 1974 The United Kingdom general election of October 1974 took place on 10 October 1974 to elect 635 members to the British House of Commons. It was the second general election of that year and resulted in the Labour Party led by Harold Wilson, winning by a tiny majority of 3 seats.The election of... : 2,177 (over Conservatives) |
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| February 1974 United Kingdom general election, February 1974 The United Kingdom's general election of February 1974 was held on the 28th of that month. It was the first of two United Kingdom general elections held that year, and the first election since the Second World War not to produce an overall majority in the House of Commons for the winning party,... : 1,546 (over Conservatives) |
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| Colne Valley County Constituency Colne Valley (UK Parliament constituency) Colne Valley is a county constituency represented in the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. It elects one Member of Parliament by the first past the post system of election. In the post-war period the seat had the distinction of being one of the few Labour/Liberal marginals,... |
Colne Valley Urban District, Holmfirth Urban District, Kirkburton Urban District, Meltham Urban District Also included the former Saddleworth Saddleworth Saddleworth is a civil parish of the Metropolitan Borough of Oldham in Greater Manchester, England. It comprises several villages and hamlets amongst the west side of the Pennine hills: Uppermill, Greenfield, Dobcross, Delph, Diggle and others... Urban District in the Metropolitan Borough of Oldham Metropolitan Borough of Oldham The Metropolitan Borough of Oldham is a metropolitan borough of Greater Manchester, England. It has a population of 219,600, and spans . The borough is named after its largest town, Oldham, but also includes the outlying towns of Chadderton, Failsworth, Royton and Shaw and Crompton, the village of... . |
Richard Wainwright | Liberal Party Liberal Party (UK) The Liberal Party was one of the two major political parties of the United Kingdom during the 19th and early 20th centuries. It was a third party of negligible importance throughout the latter half of the 20th Century, before merging with the Social Democratic Party in 1988 to form the present day... |
1979 United Kingdom general election, 1979 The United Kingdom general election of 1979 was held on 3 May 1979 to elect 635 members to the British House of Commons. The Conservative Party, led by Margaret Thatcher ousted the incumbent Labour government of James Callaghan with a parliamentary majority of 43 seats... : 2,352 (over Labour) |
|
| October 1974 United Kingdom general election, October 1974 The United Kingdom general election of October 1974 took place on 10 October 1974 to elect 635 members to the British House of Commons. It was the second general election of that year and resulted in the Labour Party led by Harold Wilson, winning by a tiny majority of 3 seats.The election of... : 1,666 (over Labour) |
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| February 1974 United Kingdom general election, February 1974 The United Kingdom's general election of February 1974 was held on the 28th of that month. It was the first of two United Kingdom general elections held that year, and the first election since the Second World War not to produce an overall majority in the House of Commons for the winning party,... : 719 (over Labour) |
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| Dewsbury Borough Constituency Dewsbury (UK Parliament constituency) Dewsbury is a constituency represented in the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. It elects one Member of Parliament by the first past the post system of election... |
Municipal Borough of Dewsbury, Heckmondwike Urban District, Mirfield Urban District Also included the former Municipal Borough of Ossett in the City of Wakefield City of Wakefield The City of Wakefield is a local government district of West Yorkshire, England, with the status of a city and metropolitan borough. Wakefield is the district's administrative centre. The district includes the "Five Towns" of Normanton, Pontefract, Featherstone, Castleford and Knottingley. Other... . |
David Ginsburg David Ginsburg David Ginsburg was a British politician.Ginsburg was educated at University College School, Hampstead, and Balliol College, Oxford. During his time at Oxford University, he was Chair of the Oxford University Democratic Socialist Club... |
Labour Party Labour Party (UK) The Labour Party is a centre-left democratic socialist party in the United Kingdom. It surpassed the Liberal Party in general elections during the early 1920s, forming minority governments under Ramsay MacDonald in 1924 and 1929-1931. The party was in a wartime coalition from 1940 to 1945, after... (Defected to the Social Democratic Party Social Democratic Party (UK) The Social Democratic Party was a political party in the United Kingdom that was created on 26 March 1981 and existed until 1988. It was founded by four senior Labour Party 'moderates', dubbed the 'Gang of Four': Roy Jenkins, David Owen, Bill Rodgers and Shirley Williams... in 1981 when he seemed unlikely to be reselected as Labour candidate for the next election.) |
1979 United Kingdom general election, 1979 The United Kingdom general election of 1979 was held on 3 May 1979 to elect 635 members to the British House of Commons. The Conservative Party, led by Margaret Thatcher ousted the incumbent Labour government of James Callaghan with a parliamentary majority of 43 seats... : 4,381 (over Conservatives) |
|
| October 1974 United Kingdom general election, October 1974 The United Kingdom general election of October 1974 took place on 10 October 1974 to elect 635 members to the British House of Commons. It was the second general election of that year and resulted in the Labour Party led by Harold Wilson, winning by a tiny majority of 3 seats.The election of... : 6,901 (over Conservatives) |
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| February 1974 United Kingdom general election, February 1974 The United Kingdom's general election of February 1974 was held on the 28th of that month. It was the first of two United Kingdom general elections held that year, and the first election since the Second World War not to produce an overall majority in the House of Commons for the winning party,... : 5,412 (over Conservatives) |
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| Huddersfield East Borough Constituency Huddersfield East (UK Parliament constituency) Huddersfield East was a constituency of the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom from 1950 until 1983.-Member of Parliament:... |
Seven wards of the County Borough of Huddersfield: Almondbury Almondbury Almondbury is a district 2 miles south east of Huddersfield town centre in West Yorkshire, England. The population of Almondbury in 2001 was 7,368Almondbury appears in the Domesday Book as "Almondeberie"... , Dalton, Deighton, Fartown, Newsome, North Central, South Central |
Barry Sheerman Barry Sheerman Barry John Sheerman is a British Labour Co-operative politician who has been the Member of Parliament for Huddersfield since the 1979 general election.-Early life:... |
Labour Party Labour Party (UK) The Labour Party is a centre-left democratic socialist party in the United Kingdom. It surpassed the Liberal Party in general elections during the early 1920s, forming minority governments under Ramsay MacDonald in 1924 and 1929-1931. The party was in a wartime coalition from 1940 to 1945, after... |
1979 United Kingdom general election, 1979 The United Kingdom general election of 1979 was held on 3 May 1979 to elect 635 members to the British House of Commons. The Conservative Party, led by Margaret Thatcher ousted the incumbent Labour government of James Callaghan with a parliamentary majority of 43 seats... : 3,095 (over Conservatives) |
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| Joseph Mallalieu Joseph Mallalieu Sir Joseph Percival William Mallalieu was a British Labour Party politician, journalist and author.Mallalieu was educated at the Dragon School in Oxford, Cheltenham College, Trinity College, Oxford and the University of Chicago. He was President of the Oxford Union in 1930 and a Rugby blue. He... |
October 1974 United Kingdom general election, October 1974 The United Kingdom general election of October 1974 took place on 10 October 1974 to elect 635 members to the British House of Commons. It was the second general election of that year and resulted in the Labour Party led by Harold Wilson, winning by a tiny majority of 3 seats.The election of... : 8,414 (over Conservatives) |
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| February 1974 United Kingdom general election, February 1974 The United Kingdom's general election of February 1974 was held on the 28th of that month. It was the first of two United Kingdom general elections held that year, and the first election since the Second World War not to produce an overall majority in the House of Commons for the winning party,... : 7,304 (over Conservatives) |
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| Huddersfield West Borough Constituency Huddersfield West (UK Parliament constituency) Huddersfield West was a parliamentary constituency centred on the town of Huddersfield in West Yorkshire. It returned one Member of Parliament to the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom.... |
Eight wards of the County Borough of Huddersfield: Birkby, Crosland Moor, Lindley, Lockwood, Longwood, Marsh, Milnsbridge, Paddock |
Geoffrey Dickens Geoffrey Dickens Geoffrey Kenneth Dickens was a British Conservative politician. He was MP for Huddersfield West from 1979 until the seat was abolished in 1983. He was then elected for Littleborough and Saddleworth and held the seat until his death in 1995.- External links :... |
Conservative Party Conservative Party (UK) The Conservative Party, formally the Conservative and Unionist Party, is a centre-right political party in the United Kingdom that adheres to the philosophies of conservatism and British unionism. It is the largest political party in the UK, and is currently the largest single party in the House... |
1979 United Kingdom general election, 1979 The United Kingdom general election of 1979 was held on 3 May 1979 to elect 635 members to the British House of Commons. The Conservative Party, led by Margaret Thatcher ousted the incumbent Labour government of James Callaghan with a parliamentary majority of 43 seats... : 1,508 (over Labour) |
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| Kenneth Lomas Kenneth Lomas Kenneth Lomas was a British Labour Party politician.Lomas was educated in Ashton-under-Lyne and served in the Royal Marines 1942–46 including in the Commando Group. He worked for the Union of Shop, Distributive and Allied Workers then as assistant regional organiser of the National Blood... |
Labour Party Labour Party (UK) The Labour Party is a centre-left democratic socialist party in the United Kingdom. It surpassed the Liberal Party in general elections during the early 1920s, forming minority governments under Ramsay MacDonald in 1924 and 1929-1931. The party was in a wartime coalition from 1940 to 1945, after... |
October 1974 United Kingdom general election, October 1974 The United Kingdom general election of October 1974 took place on 10 October 1974 to elect 635 members to the British House of Commons. It was the second general election of that year and resulted in the Labour Party led by Harold Wilson, winning by a tiny majority of 3 seats.The election of... : 1,364 (over Conservatives) |
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| February 1974 United Kingdom general election, February 1974 The United Kingdom's general election of February 1974 was held on the 28th of that month. It was the first of two United Kingdom general elections held that year, and the first election since the Second World War not to produce an overall majority in the House of Commons for the winning party,... : 630 (over Conservatives) |
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| Penistone County Constituency Penistone (UK Parliament constituency) Penistone was a Parliamentary constituency covering the town of Penistone in Yorkshire and surrounding countryside. It returned one Member of Parliament to the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom, elected by the first-past-the-post voting system.-History:The constituency was... |
Denby Dale Urban District Remainder of constituency consisted of former urban and rural districts in the Metropolitan Borough of Barnsley Metropolitan Borough of Barnsley The Metropolitan Borough of Barnsley is a metropolitan borough of the metropolitan county of South Yorkshire, England. Its main town is Barnsley.... and the City of Sheffield |
Allen McKay Allen McKay Allen McKay is a retired British Labour Party politician.Born in Barnsley, McKay was elected Member of Parliament for the South Yorkshire constituency of Penistone in a 1978 by-election followig the death of the Labour MP John Mendelson, serving there until the seat was abolished for the 1983... |
Labour Party Labour Party (UK) The Labour Party is a centre-left democratic socialist party in the United Kingdom. It surpassed the Liberal Party in general elections during the early 1920s, forming minority governments under Ramsay MacDonald in 1924 and 1929-1931. The party was in a wartime coalition from 1940 to 1945, after... |
1979 United Kingdom general election, 1979 The United Kingdom general election of 1979 was held on 3 May 1979 to elect 635 members to the British House of Commons. The Conservative Party, led by Margaret Thatcher ousted the incumbent Labour government of James Callaghan with a parliamentary majority of 43 seats... : 9,701 (over Conservatives) |
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| 1978 by-election Penistone by-election, 1978 A by-election was held for the British House of Commons constituency of Penistone on 13 July 1978. The seat had become vacant on the death of the Labour Member of Parliament John Mendelson, who had held the seat since a by-election in 1959.... : 5,371 (over Conservatives) |
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| John Mendelson John Mendelson John Jakob Mendelson was a British Labour Party politician.Mendelson was educated at the University of London and became a university lecturer in political science... |
October 1974 United Kingdom general election, October 1974 The United Kingdom general election of October 1974 took place on 10 October 1974 to elect 635 members to the British House of Commons. It was the second general election of that year and resulted in the Labour Party led by Harold Wilson, winning by a tiny majority of 3 seats.The election of... : 1,364 (over Conservatives) |
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| February 1974 United Kingdom general election, February 1974 The United Kingdom's general election of February 1974 was held on the 28th of that month. It was the first of two United Kingdom general elections held that year, and the first election since the Second World War not to produce an overall majority in the House of Commons for the winning party,... : 630 (over Conservatives) |
Geography
Most of Kirklees consists of old mill towns although there are a few country villages, such as Denby DaleDenby Dale
Denby Dale is a village and civil parish in the metropolitan borough of Kirklees in West Yorkshire, England, to the South East of Huddersfield. As a civil parish it covers the villages of Denby Dale, Lower Denby, Upper Denby, Upper Cumberworth, Lower Cumberworth, Skelmanthorpe, Emley, Emley...
and Emley
Emley, West Yorkshire
Emley is a village in West Yorkshire, England between Huddersfield and Wakefield with a population of 1,867 according to the 2001 census. It is east of Huddersfield and west of Wakefield. The village lies in moorland close to the Emley Moor TV Transmitter...
. The combination of the two county boroughs (which only happened in three other metropolitan districts: Wirral, Sefton and Sandwell
Sandwell
Sandwell is a metropolitan borough of the West Midlands with a population of around 289,100, and an area of . The borough is named after Sandwell Priory, and spans a densely populated part of both the Black Country, and the West Midlands conurbation, encompassing the urban towns of Blackheath,...
) resulted in a borough with no clear centre. Graham Riddick
Graham Riddick
Graham Edward Galloway Riddick was the Conservative Party Member of Parliament for Colne Valley in West Yorkshire, England from 1987 to 1997.-Family and early life:...
, MP for Colne Valley
Colne Valley (UK Parliament constituency)
Colne Valley is a county constituency represented in the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. It elects one Member of Parliament by the first past the post system of election. In the post-war period the seat had the distinction of being one of the few Labour/Liberal marginals,...
, campaigned in the early 1990s for it to be split into two. A similar ambition was mentioned by Elizabeth Peacock
Elizabeth Peacock
Elizabeth Peacock is a British Conservative politician and former Member of Parliament for the West Yorkshire constituency of Batley and Spen....
, MP for Batley and Spen in 1991. The boundaries of metropolitan boroughs were outside the remit of the Banham Commission
Local Government Commission for England (1992)
The Local Government Commission for England was the body responsible for reviewing the structure of local government in England from 1992 to 2002. It was established under the Local Government Act 1992, replacing the Local Government Boundary Commission for England...
appointed to review local government structures in 1992 or its successors, and only minor boundary changes were made with neighbouring districts in 1994.
The district includes areas of three postal codes. Birkenshaw, Cleckheaton and Gomersal
Gomersal
Gomersal is a village in the metropolitan county of West Yorkshire, England. It is south of Bradford, east of Cleckheaton, and north of Heckmondwike and close to the River Spen....
lie within the BD Bradford area. The Huddersfield HD postcode also includes the rural south area of the district, while Batley, Dewsbury, Heckmondwike and Mirfield lie within the Wakefield WF postcode. Similarly, the telephone dialling codes are split, with Kirklees residents being split between 01484 Huddersfield, 01274 Bradford and 01924 Wakefield. A small number of residents fall within 01422 Halifax (Birchencliffe village) and 0113 (part of Birkenshaw).
Religion
The stated religion of the population of Kirklees, as recorded at the 2001 census of population was as follows:- ChristianChristianA Christian is a person who adheres to Christianity, an Abrahamic, monotheistic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus of Nazareth as recorded in the Canonical gospels and the letters of the New Testament...
261,128 (67.2%) - No religion 54,445 (14%)
- MuslimMuslimA Muslim, also spelled Moslem, is an adherent of Islam, a monotheistic, Abrahamic religion based on the Quran, which Muslims consider the verbatim word of God as revealed to prophet Muhammad. "Muslim" is the Arabic term for "submitter" .Muslims believe that God is one and incomparable...
39,312 (10.1%) - Religion not stated 28,394 (7.3%)
- SikhSikhA Sikh is a follower of Sikhism. It primarily originated in the 15th century in the Punjab region of South Asia. The term "Sikh" has its origin in Sanskrit term शिष्य , meaning "disciple, student" or शिक्ष , meaning "instruction"...
2,726 (0.7%) - HinduHinduismHinduism is the predominant and indigenous religious tradition of the Indian Subcontinent. Hinduism is known to its followers as , amongst many other expressions...
1,222 (0.3%) - Other Religions 772 (0.2%)
- BuddhistBuddhismBuddhism is a religion and philosophy encompassing a variety of traditions, beliefs and practices, largely based on teachings attributed to Siddhartha Gautama, commonly known as the Buddha . The Buddha lived and taught in the northeastern Indian subcontinent some time between the 6th and 4th...
397 (0.1%) - JewishJudaismJudaism ) is the "religion, philosophy, and way of life" of the Jewish people...
171 (0.0%)
Notable features
One attraction in Kirklees is Kirklees Light RailwayKirklees Light Railway
The Kirklees Light Railway is a long gauge minimum gauge railway in Kirklees metropolitan borough, West Yorkshire first opened in October 1991...
. The border of Kirklees borough with Derbyshire
Derbyshire
Derbyshire is a county in the East Midlands of England. A substantial portion of the Peak District National Park lies within Derbyshire. The northern part of Derbyshire overlaps with the Pennines, a famous chain of hills and mountains. The county contains within its boundary of approx...
(High Peak district) runs across the summit of the significant hill named Black Hill
Black Hill (Peak District)
Black Hill is a hill in the Peak District, England.It used to be the highest point in Cheshire, but now lies on the border between the boroughs of Kirklees in West Yorkshire and High Peak in Derbyshire, reaching above sea level....
.
The last remaining colliery in West Yorkshire
West Yorkshire
West Yorkshire is a metropolitan county within the Yorkshire and the Humber region of England with a population of 2.2 million. West Yorkshire came into existence as a metropolitan county in 1974 after the passage of the Local Government Act 1972....
is at Scissett
Scissett
Scissett is a village in West Yorkshire, England. It is 14 km south east of Huddersfield and 16 km north west of Barnsley. According to the 2001 census, the village had a population of 1,324...
; the mine was so small that it was never nationalised and has always been in private hands.
Dewsbury
Dewsbury
Dewsbury is a minster town in the Metropolitan Borough of Kirklees, in West Yorkshire, England. It is to the west of Wakefield, east of Huddersfield and south of Leeds...
and Batley
Batley
Batley is a town within the Metropolitan Borough of Kirklees, in West Yorkshire, England. It lies southeast of Bradford, southwest of Leeds and north of Dewsbury, near the M62 motorway. It has a population of 49,448 . Other nearby towns include Morley to the northeast, Ossett to the southeast...
have been made into a special E.U.
European Union
The European Union is an economic and political union of 27 independent member states which are located primarily in Europe. The EU traces its origins from the European Coal and Steel Community and the European Economic Community , formed by six countries in 1958...
transformation area to address their problems of deprivation.