With Kirklees’ 50th anniversary around the corner, we want to know whether readers think this is a matter worth celebrating.
On April 1, 1974, the towns of Huddersfield, Dewsbury, Holmfirth, Batley, and many others, were brought together under the banner of Kirklees, a newly formed borough with a council and a Mayor.
This came as part of sweeping reforms to local government, including the abolition of the West Riding of Yorkshire, which was morphed into the modern West Yorkshire.
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Huddersfield, as the largest town in the area, serves as the centre of the borough, with most key decisions being made by the council at Huddersfield town hall.
This has caused discomfort for some living in the north of Kirklees, in towns like Dewsbury and Batley, and there have been a number of unsuccessful attempts to split the borough along these lines.
Kirklees Council has seen mixed success in recent years. Large-scale regeneration projects or “Blueprints” are underway in some of the larger towns and villages, but financial difficulties have hit the council hard, with the local authority forced to make tough cuts to avoid effective bankruptcy and address a £47m deficit.
Do you feel like you belong in Kirklees? Or do you feel like the modern borough does not represent your town’s identity and interests? Have your say in our poll below:
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