West Yorkshire
| West Yorkshire | |
|---|---|
 Shown within England |
|
| Geography | |
| Status | Metropolitan county and ceremonial county |
| Origin | 1974 (Local Government Act 1972) |
| Region | Yorkshire and the Humber |
| Area - Total |
Ranked 29th 2,029 km2 (783 sq mi) |
| Admin HQ | Wakefield (1972–1986) |
| ONS code | 2F |
| NUTS 3 | UKE4 |
| Demography | |
| Population - Total (2005) - Density |
Ranked 4th 2,161,200 1,044 /km2 (2,700 /sq mi) |
| Ethnicity | 88.6% White 8.7% S. Asian |
| Politics | |
No county council West Yorkshire Joint Services http://www.wyjs.org.uk/ |
|
| Executive | |
| Members of Parliament |
|
| Metropolitan Boroughs | |
|
|
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.[1]
West Yorkshire, which is landlocked, consists of five metropolitan boroughs (City of Bradford, Calderdale, Kirklees, City of Leeds and City of Wakefield) and shares borders with the counties of Derbyshire (to the south), Greater Manchester (to the south-west), Lancashire (to the north-west), North Yorkshire (to the north and east) and South Yorkshire (to the south-east).
West Yorkshire County Council was abolished in 1986, and so its districts (the metropolitan boroughs) are now effectively unitary authorities. However, the metropolitan county, which covers an area of 2,029 square kilometres (783 sq mi), continues to exist in law, and as a geographic frame of reference.[2][3][4]
West Yorkshire encompasses the West Yorkshire Urban Area, which is the most built-up and biggest urban area within the historic county boundaries of Yorkshire.
Contents |
History [edit]
West Yorkshire was formed as a metropolitan county in 1974, by the Local Government Act 1972, and corresponds roughly to the core of the historic West Riding of Yorkshire and the county boroughs of Bradford, Dewsbury, Halifax, Huddersfield, Leeds, and Wakefield.
West Yorkshire Metropolitan County Council inherited the use of West Riding County Hall at Wakefield, opened in 1898, from the West Riding County Council in 1974. Since 1987 it has been the headquarters of Wakefield City Council.[5]
The county initially had a two-tier structure of local government with a strategic-level county council and five districts providing most services.[6] In 1986, throughout England the metropolitan county councils were abolished. The functions of the county council were devolved to the boroughs; joint-boards covering fire, police and public transport; and to other special joint arrangements.[7] Organisations such as West Yorkshire Police Authority and West Yorkshire Passenger Transport Executive continue to operate on this basis.
Although the county council was abolished, West Yorkshire continues to form a metropolitan and ceremonial county with a Lord Lieutenant of West Yorkshire and a High Sheriff.
Wakefield's Parish Church was raised to cathedral status in 1888 and after the elevation of Wakefield to diocese, Wakefield Council immediately sought city status and this was granted in July 1888.[8] However the industrial revolution, which changed West and South Yorkshire significantly, led to the growth of Leeds and Bradford, which became the area's two largest cities (Leeds being the largest in Yorkshire). Leeds was granted city status in 1893 and Bradford in 1897. The name of Leeds Town Hall reflects the fact that at its opening in 1858 Leeds was not yet a city, while Bradford renamed its Town Hall as City Hall in 1965.[9]
| post-1974 | pre-1974 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Metropolitan county | Metropolitan borough | County boroughs | Non-county boroughs | Urban districts | Rural districts |
 |
Bradford | Bradford | Keighley | Baildon • Bingley • Denholme • Ilkley • Queensbury and Shelf[10] •Silsden • Shipley • | Skipton |
| Calderdale | Halifax | Brighouse • Todmorden • | Elland • Hebden Royd • Queensbury and Shelf[10] • Ripponden • Sowerby Bridge • | ||
| Kirklees | Huddersfield • Dewsbury • | Batley • Spenborough • | Colne Valley • Denby Dale • Heckmondwike • Holmfirth • Kirkburton • Meltham • Mirfield • | ||
| Leeds | Leeds | Morley • Pudsey • | Aireborough • Garforth • Horsforth • Otley • Rothwell • | Tadcaster • Wharfedale • Wetherby • | |
| Wakefield | Wakefield | Castleford • Ossett • Pontefract • | Featherstone • Hemsworth • Horbury • Knottingley • Normanton • Stanley • | Hemsworth • Osgoldcross • Wakefield • | |
Geography [edit]
The county borders, going anticlockwise from the west: Lancashire, Greater Manchester, Derbyshire, South Yorkshire and North Yorkshire. It lies almost entirely on rocks of carboniferous age which form the southern Pennine fringes in the west[11] and the Yorkshire coalfield further eastwards.[12] In the extreme east of the metropolitan county there are younger deposits of magnesian limestone.[13] The Bradford and Calderdale areas are dominated by the scenery of the eastern slopes of the Pennines, dropping from upland in the west down to the east, and dissected by numerous steep-sided valleys. There is a close conjunction of large scale industry, urban areas and transport routes with open countryside. The dense network of roads, canals and railways and urban development, confined by valleys creates dramatic interplay of views between settlements and the surrounding hillsides.
The carboniferous rocks of the Yorkshire coalfield further east have produced a rolling landscape with hills, escarpments and broad valleys. In this landscape there is widespread evidence of both current and former industrial activity. There are numerous derelict or converted mine buildings and recently landscaped former spoil heaps. The scenery is a mixture of built up areas, industrial land with some dereliction, and farmed open country. Ribbon developments along transport routes including canal, road and rail are prominent features of the area although some remnants of the pre industrial landscape and semi-natural vegetation still survive. However, many areas are affected by urban fringe pressures creating fragmented and downgraded landscapes and ever present are urban influences from major cities, smaller industrial towns and former mining villages.
In the magnesian limestone belt to the east of the Leeds and Wakefield areas is an elevated ridge with smoothly rolling scenery, dissected by dry valleys. Here, there is a large number of country houses and estates with parkland, estate woodlands, plantations and game coverts.
The rivers Aire and Calder drain the area, flowing from west to east.
The table below outlines many of the county's settlements, and is formatted according to their metropolitan borough.
| Climate data for West Yorkshire | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
| Average high °C (°F) | 5 (41) |
5 (41) |
8 (46) |
11 (52) |
15 (59) |
18 (64) |
19 (66) |
19 (66) |
17 (63) |
13 (55) |
8 (46) |
6 (43) |
12 (53.5) |
| Average low °C (°F) | 0 (32) |
0 (32) |
1 (34) |
3 (37) |
5 (41) |
8 (46) |
10 (50) |
10 (50) |
8 (46) |
6 (43) |
2 (36) |
1 (34) |
4.5 (40.1) |
| Rainfall mm (inches) | 61 (2.4) |
45 (1.77) |
52 (2.05) |
48 (1.89) |
54 (2.13) |
54 (2.13) |
51 (2.01) |
65 (2.56) |
57 (2.24) |
55 (2.17) |
57 (2.24) |
61 (2.4) |
660 (25.99) |
| Source: [14] | |||||||||||||
Governance [edit]
In Parliament, 15 out of 23 of West Yorkshire's M.P.s are Labour, 6 are Conservative and 2 are Liberal Democrats. At local level, the councils are generally divided, apart from the Wakefield district, which has long been one of the safest Labour councils in the country.
There are currently plans for a tram system in West Yorkshire, but those for a Leeds Supertram were rejected by the government in 2005.
Certain services are provided across the county by West Yorkshire Joint Services, and the West Yorkshire Police and West Yorkshire Fire and Rescue Service are also county-wide.
Demography [edit]
Economy [edit]
This is a chart of regional gross value added for West Yorkshire at current basic prices with figures in millions of British Pounds Sterling.[15]
.svg){kind=icon}
