Coordinates: 53°35′35″N 1°48′04″W / 53.593°N 1.801°W / 53.593; -1.801

Metropolitan Borough of Kirklees
—  Metropolitan borough  —
Coat of Arms of the Borough Council
Sovereign state	United Kingdom
Constituent country	England
Region	Yorkshire and the Humber
Ceremonial county	West Yorkshire
Founded
Admin. HQ	Huddersfield
Government
• Type	Kirklees Metropolitan Council
• Mayor:	Cllr. Eric Firth
• Chief Executive:	Adrian Lythgo
• Executive:	TBA (council NOC)
• MPs:	Jason McCartney, Simon Reevell, Barry Sheerman, Mike Wood
Area
• Total	157.8 sq mi (408.6 km2)
Area rank	100th
Population (2010 est.)
• Total	409,800
• Rank	Ranked 11th
• Density	2,600/sq mi (1,000/km2)
Time zone	Greenwich Mean Time (UTC+0)
• Summer (DST)	British Summer Time (UTC+1)
Postcode
ISO 3166-2
ONS code	00CZ
OS grid reference
NUTS 3
Ethnicity	84.5 White 11.7% S.Asian 1.6% Black 1.6% Mixed Chinese or other 0.5%[1]
Website	kirklees.gov.uk

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.

History[link]

The borough was formed under the Local Government Act 1972 on 1 April 1974, by a merger of the county boroughs of Dewsbury and Huddersfield along with the municipal boroughs of Batley and Spenborough and the urban districts 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".^[2] It was named after Kirklees Priory, legendary burial place of Robin Hood.^[2][3] The site of the priory is now Kirklees Park Estate, situated mid way between Huddersfield and Dewsbury and the location of Kirklees Hall.^[2]

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.^[4]

Governance[link]

Borough council[link]

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-elections and ward boundary changes.

In 2004 the wards of the council were redrawn, and there was therefore a general election of the entire council.^[5] 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[link]

All three of the United Kingdom's main political parties: the Labour Party, 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:^[6][7]

• 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 and Colne Valley.

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.^[8]

The British National Party succeeded in having a councillor elected for Heckmondwike in 2004.^[6] 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.^[6] The Dewsbury councillor subsequently quit the party to become an independent, before resigning the seat which was won by Labour at a by-election in October 2008.^[9][10] 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.^[11] 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.

2012 election[link]

2011 election[link]

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.^[12]

2010 election[link]

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.^[13] 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).^[14]

2009 change of control[link]

On 21 January 2009 the political control of the council changed, and Labour and the Liberal Democrats formed a "partnership" administration.^[15] 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.^[16]

2008 election[link]

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 by-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:^[10][17]

• Conservative 22
• Labour 22
• Liberal Democrat 19
• Green 4
• BNP 1
• Save Huddersfield NHS 1

2007 election[link]

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.

2006 election[link]

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.

2004 election[link]

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.^[19][20]

Summary of election results 1973 - 2003[link]

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.^[21] Elections by thirds continued from that date until 2004.

Area committees[link]

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.^[44]

The committee areas and their constituent wards are as follows:^[44]

• 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[link]

A number of services in the borough are delivered on a "locality" basis. Examples include West Yorkshire Police, National Health Service Primary Care Trusts, and the Kirklees Children and Young People Service.^[45] The seven localities are:

• Batley, Birstall and Birkenshaw
• Denby Dale and Kirkburton
• Dewsbury and Mirfield
• Huddersfield North
• Huddersfield South
• Spen Valley
• The Valleys (The Colne and Holme Valleys)

Borough status and mayoralty[link]

The shadow Kirklees District Council petitioned the privy council for a royal charter under section 245 of the Local Government Act 1972 granting the status of a borough from 1 April 1974.^[46] 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).^[47] The mayor is elected from among the councillors for a one-year term (the "civic year") at the council's annual meeting.^[48]

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.^[49]

Freedom of the borough[link]

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:

Yorkshire Volunteers Freedom Scroll

Kirklees Mayor, Cllr Karam Hussain & Lt Col Andy Pullan Inspect Yorkshire Regiment Soldiers

• 3rd Battalion Yorkshire Volunteers - (25 March 1979)^[50] 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) 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 Regiment on 1 July 1999. The East and West Riding Regiment ceased to exist on 6 June 2006, having been merged into the Yorkshire Regiment 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 Mallalieu MP (27 January 1980)^[51]
• The Rt Hon Betty Boothroyd MP (20 November 1992)^[51]
• Citizens of Besançon, France (7 October 2005)^[51]
• The Yorkshire Regiment (25 October 2008)^[52]

Coat of arms[link]

Kirklees Borough Council was granted armorial bearings by the College of Arms by letters patent dated 24 June 1974. the blazon 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.^[53]

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.^[53][54]

Parish and town councils[link]

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 parishes to urban districts abolished in 1974.^[55] The fifth was formed in 1988.^[56] The five town or parish councils are:

The remainder of the borough is unparished, with the borough council exercising parish powers.

Parliamentary representation[link]

1997 to date[link]

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, 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.^[63]

1983 to 1997[link]

The 1983 general election was the first at which constituencies based on the administrative areas created in 1974 were used. Kirklees was divided into four constituencies.^[69] 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.

1974 to 1983[link]

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 election.^[81]

Geography[link]

Most of Kirklees consists of old mill towns although there are a few country villages, such as Denby Dale 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.^[101][102] A similar ambition was mentioned by Elizabeth Peacock, MP for Batley and Spen in 1991.^[103] 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.^{[104][105][106]}

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).

Demography[link]

Religion[link]

The stated religion of the population of Kirklees, as recorded at the 2001 census of population was as follows:^[107]

• Christian 261,128 (67.2%)
• No religion 54,445 (14%)
• Muslim 39,312 (10.1%)
• Religion not stated 28,394 (7.3%)
• Sikh 2,726 (0.7%)
• Hindu 1,222 (0.3%)
• Other Religions 772 (0.2%)
• Buddhist 397 (0.1%)
• Jewish 171 (0.0%)

Notable features[link]

One attraction in Kirklees is Kirklees Light Railway. 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.

See also[link]

• List of people from Kirklees

References[link]