Calderdale

Borough of Calderdale
Metropolitan borough

Coat of arms of Calderdale Borough Council
Motto: Industria Arte Prudentia
(Industry, skill and foresight)

Calderdale shown within West Yorkshire
Sovereign state United Kingdom
Constituent country England
Region Yorkshire and the Humber
Metropolitan county West Yorkshire
Admin HQ Halifax
Incorporated 1974
Granted Unitary Status 1986
Government
  Type Metropolitan Borough
  Governing Body Calderdale Council
  Leadership Leader & Cabinet
  Mayor Cllr Pat Allen (LD)
  Leader of Council Cllr Stephen Baines (Con)
  Chief Executive Merran McRae
Area
  Total 140.5 sq mi (363.9 km2)
Population (2001 Census,
2007 population estimates; Religion statistics 2001)
  Total 200,100 (Ranked 79th)
  Density 1,400/sq mi (550/km2)
  Ethnicity 91.1% White
6.8% S.Asian
1.0% Mixed Race
  Religion[1] 69.6% Christian
16.4% No Religion
5.3% Muslim
Time zone Greenwich Mean Time (UTC+0)
  Summer (DST) British Summer Time (UTC+1)
Postcode areas HX and parts of HD & OL
Dialling Codes 01422 (central core)
01484 (Brighouse/Rastrick)
01706 (Todmorden area)
01274 (Shelf area)
ONS code 00CY (ONS)
E08000033 (GSS)
Euro. Parlt. Const. Yorkshire & the Humber
Website www.calderdale.gov.uk

The Metropolitan Borough of Calderdale is a metropolitan borough of West Yorkshire, England. It takes its name from the River Calder, whose upper part flows through the borough. Several small valleys contain tributaries of the River Calder.

Calderdale covers part of the South Pennines and is the southernmost of the Yorkshire Dales, though it is not part of the Yorkshire Dales National Park. The borough was formed by the merger of six former local government districts, spanning, from east to west, the towns of Brighouse, Elland, Halifax, Sowerby Bridge, Hebden Bridge and Todmorden. Mytholmroyd is now part of Hebden Bridge, forming Hebden Royd.

Halifax is the main commercial, cultural and administrative centre of the borough, with numerous high street chain stores, markets, central library, borough council offices, public transport hub, central police station and the further and higher education college, as well as other major local organisations.

History

The Roman settlement of Cambodunum was probably located within Calderdale. A Roman fort has been excavated in Slack but its identity is not yet certain.

The borough was formed on 1 April 1974, under the Local Government Act 1972, by the merger of the then county borough of Halifax, the boroughs of Brighouse, Todmorden and the urban districts of Elland, Hebden Royd, Ripponden, Sowerby Bridge, part of Queensbury and Shelf urban district and Hepton Rural District.

Suburbs and villages

As well as the six towns, there are numerous villages and suburbs including:

Education

Two selective schools in Calderdale jointly administer an 11+ admissions exam: The Crossley Heath School, in Savile Park and North Halifax Grammar School in Illingworth.

Both schools achieve excellent GCSE and A-level results, achieving a large proportion of A* to C grades at GCSE level. In 2005 the Crossley Heath School was the highest ranking co-educational school in the north of England.

Calderdale College is a local further education college on Francis Street, in Halifax. In December 2006 it was announced that Calderdale College, in partnership with Leeds Metropolitan University, would open a new higher education institution in January 2007 called University Centre Calderdale.[2]

Local government

Signpost in Calderdale

The borough is divided into 17 wards and each is represented on the borough council by three councillors. Each councillor is normally elected on a first past the post basis for a four-year period which is staggered with the other councillors of that ward so that only one councillor per ward is up for election at any one time. Exceptions to this include by-elections and ward boundary changes.

The wards are:- Brighouse; Calder; Elland; Greetland and Stainland; Hipperholme and Lightcliffe; Illingworth and Mixenden; Luddendenfoot; Northowram and Shelf; Ovenden; Park; Rastrick; Ryburn; Skircoat; Sowerby Bridge; Todmorden; Town; and Warley.[3]

Mayors of Calderdale

  • 1974–75: Joseph Tolan
  • 1975–76: Mrs Kathleen M. Cawdry
  • 1976–77: Mrs Mona Ross Mitchell
  • 1977–78: Eric Dennett
  • 1978–79: Richard Deadman
  • 1979–80: Mrs Betty Wildsmith
  • 1980–81: Harry Wilson
  • 1981–82: Eric Whitehead
  • 1982–83: David Trevor Shutt
  • 1983–84: Kevin Gordon Lord
  • 1984–85: John Bradley
  • 1985–86: Thomas Lawler
  • 1986–87: David J. Fox
  • 1987–88: Wilfred Sharp
  • 1988–89: Albert Berry
  • 1989–90: Joseph Kneafsey
  • 1990–91: Joseph Tolan
  • 1991–92: Thomas J. McElroy
  • 1992–93: William C. A. Carpenter
  • 1993–94: Anthony D. J. Mazey
  • 1994–95: Stephen J. Pearson

  • 1995–96: Graham E. A. Reason
  • 1996–97: Dawn Neal
  • 1997–97: Susan Tucker
  • 1997–98: Alan Worth
  • 1998–99: Alan Worth
  • 1999–2000: Graham Hall
  • 2000–01: Peter Sephton Coles
  • 2001–02: Chris O'Connor
  • 2002–03: Patrick Phillips
  • 2003–04: Mrs Geraldine Carter
  • 2004–05: Olwen Jean Arlette Jennings
  • 2005–06: John Williamson
  • 2006–07: Colin Stout
  • 2007–08: Martin Peel
  • 2008–09: Conrad Winterburn
  • 2009–10: Arshad Mahmood
  • 2010–11: Ann McAllister
  • 2011–12: Nader Fekri JP
  • 2012–2013  : John Hardy
  • 2013-2014 : Ann Martin
  • 2014-2015 : Pat Allen

Public services

Health

Calderdale is part of the Calderdale Primary Care Trust, South West Yorkshire NHS Foundation Trust and Calderdale & Huddersfield NHS Foundation Trust. The main hospital (part of Calderdale & Huddersfield NHS Foundation Trust) is the Calderdale Royal Hospital, located by the main route to Huddersfield, in Salterhebble. It has specialist departments and Calderdale's A&E department and the Calderdale Birth Centre.[4] The borough has two hospitals and one hospice. The hospital was built and opened in 2001, on the site of the original Halifax General Hospital. After the new hospital opened, the Royal Halifax Infirmary closed and all services were transferred, as were services from Northowram Hospital. NHS Ambulance services are provided by the Yorkshire Ambulance Service. Overgate Hospice provides specialist palliative care for adults in Calderdale.

Elland Hospital located by the Calderdale Way, is Calderdale's only private hospital. Formerly BUPA Elland Independent Hospital, it is now owned and operated by Classic Hospitals.

Police

Calderdale is served by West Yorkshire Police; their Calderdale Division headquarters is at Halifax police station.[5] Other police stations are located in Todmorden[6] and at Brighouse, which has recently reopened.[7]

Fire and rescue

West Yorkshire Fire & Rescue covers Calderdale and it has six fire stations in the borough. These are located at Brighouse, Elland, King Cross (Halifax Fire Station), Mytholmroyd, Illingworth, and Todmorden.[8]

References

  1. University Centre Calderdale
  2. "Ward profiles 2010". Calderdale Council. Retrieved 16 December 2011.

External links

Coordinates: 53°43′N 1°58′W / 53.72°N 1.97°W