Tomorrow marks 40 years since Kirklees Council was formed.
And it is also the start of a new era in local governance, with the first ever meeting for new West Yorkshire Combined Authority
The Authority, a modern-day equivalent of a county council, will be the driving force behind transport, infrastructure and economic activity in the region.
The inaugural meeting takes place on Tuesday April 1, at 11am at Wellington House, Leeds and is open to the public.
It will mean that decisions which were formerly taken in Whitehall will now be taken in the region.
Resources and decision making powers devolved from government to the region include:
West Yorkshire and York Transport Fund – a programme of strategic investments in transport infrastructure worth up to £1.6 billion over fifteen years;
Local Growth Fund likely to run into £100’s millions over the next ten years;
European Structural Investment Funds – supporting strategies for economic growth;
Investments through the Local Transport Plan (around £400m and over ten years)
The new body is made up of the five council leaders from West Yorkshire, the council leader of City of York Council, opposition councillors from across the region and Roger Marsh, chair of the Leeds City Region Enterprise Partnership linking with the private sector.
The Authority will be chaired by Clr Peter Box, leader of Wakefield Council.
Kirklees was formed under the Local Government Act 1972 on April 1, 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 50 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 midway 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.
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