Borough of Calderdale | |
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.jpg) View over Mytholmroyd in the Upper Calder Valley | |
| Motto(s): Industria Arte Prudentia (Latin: 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 |
| Established | 1 April 1974 |
| Government | |
| • Type | Metropolitan Borough |
| • Body | Calderdale Council |
| • Leadership | Leader & Cabinet |
| • MPs | Josh Fenton-Glynn (L)(Calder Valley), Kate Dearden (L) (Halifax) |
| Area | |
• Total | 363.9 km2 (140.5 sq mi) |
| Population (2020 estimate) | |
• Total | 211,439 (Ranked 96th) |
| • Density | 581/km2 (1,500/sq mi) |
| Ethnicity(2021) | |
| • Ethnic groups | |
| Religion(2021) | |
| • Religion | List
|
| Time zone | UTC+0 (Greenwich Mean Time) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC+1 (British Summer Time) |
| Postcode areas | HD2–HD6,HX1–HX7,OL14,WF14,BD13–BD19 |
| Dialling Codes | 01422(central core) 01484(Brighouse/Rastrick) 01706(Todmorden area) 01274(Shelf area) |
| ONS code | 00CY (ONS) E08000033 (GSS) |
| ISO 3166-2 | GB-CLD |
| Website | www.calderdale.gov.uk |
Calderdale (/ˈkɔːldərdeɪl,ˈkɒl-/[2]) is ametropolitan borough ofWest Yorkshire, England, which had a population of 211,439.[3] It takes its name from theRiver Calder, anddale, a word for valley. The name Calderdale usually refers to the borough through which the upper river flows, while the actual landform is known as theCalder Valley. Several small valleys contain tributaries of the River Calder. The main towns of the borough areBrighouse,Elland,Halifax,Hebden Bridge,Sowerby Bridge andTodmorden.
Calderdale covers part of theSouth Pennines, and the Calder Valley is the southernmost of theYorkshire Dales, though it is not part of theYorkshire Dales National Park. The borough was formed in 1974 by themerger of nine local government districts.
Halifax is the commercial, cultural and administrative centre of the borough. Calderdale is served byCalderdale Council, which is headquartered in Halifax, with some functions based in Todmorden.
TheRoman settlement ofCambodunum was probably located within Calderdale.[citation needed] A Roman fort has been excavated inSlack, which is in the neighbouring borough ofKirklees, but its identity is not yet certain.[citation needed]
The metropolitan district of Calderdale was created on 1 April 1974 under theLocal Government Act 1972. It covered the area of eight former districts and part of a ninth, which were all abolished at the same time:[4][5][6]
In 2022,Yorkshire Water built an emergency water pipeline from Calderdale toPonden Reservoir inHaworth as Yorkshire experienced its driest period on record.[7]
The borough is divided into 17wards and each is represented onCalderdale Metropolitan Borough Council by three councillors. Each councillor is normally elected on afirst 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 includeby-elections and ward boundary changes.
The largest ethnic group within Calderdale at the2011 census wasWhite British at 86.7%, down from 90.8% in 2001.[8] The next largest ethnic group are Pakistanis, comprising 6.8% of the population (4.9% in 2001).[8]
In 2011,Christians comprised 60.6% of the borough's population. This was followed by those of no religion (30.2%) andMuslims (7.8%).[9]
The2021 census showed further changes in the borough, with the White British population declining slightly to 82.7% and the proportion of residents of Pakistani heritage increasing to 8.5%. Younger residents showed a higher level of ethnic diversity with 74.7% of Calderdale's population aged under 16 identifying as White British compared with 93.5% of the population over 65. Those holding no religion had risen to 42.0% of the population, now comprising a slightly higher proportion of residents than Christians (41.5%) and the Muslim population remaining relatively stable increasing to 9.5%.[10] The large majority of Calderdale residents were born in England - falling slightly from 90.6% to 89.7% between 2011 and 2021.[11]
Calderdale is part of the CalderdalePrimary Care Trust, South West Yorkshire NHS Foundation Trust and Calderdale & HuddersfieldNHS Foundation Trust. The borough has two hospitals and onehospice. The main hospital (part of Calderdale & Huddersfield NHS Foundation Trust) is theCalderdale Royal Hospital, located on the main route to Huddersfield inSalterhebble. It has specialist departments: Calderdale'sA&E department and the Calderdale Birth Centre.[12] The hospital was built and opened in 2001 on the site of the originalHalifax General Hospital. After the new hospital opened, theRoyal Halifax Infirmary closed and all services were transferred, as were services fromNorthowram Hospital. NHS Ambulance services are provided by theYorkshire Ambulance Service from stations in Halifax, Brighouse and Todmorden.Overgate Hospice provides specialistpalliative care for adults in Calderdale.Elland Hospital, Calderdale's only private hospital, is located by theCalderdale Way. FormerlyBUPA Elland Independent Hospital, it is now owned and operated byClassic Hospitals.
Calderdale is served byWest Yorkshire Police; whose Calderdale Division headquarters is at Halifax police station. Other police stations are located in Todmorden[13] and at Brighouse, which reopened in 2009.[14]
West Yorkshire Fire & Rescue covers Calderdale and it has five fire stations in the borough. These are located at Rastrick (Since 2015), King Cross (Halifax Fire Station), Mytholmroyd, Illingworth, and Todmorden.[15]
Calderdale Libraries provides services through 22 local library branches, including a central library in Halifax, and also offer a home library service and digital library service.[16] In 2014, construction began on a new central library and archive building in Halifax, adjacent to thePiece Hall and theSquare Chapel.[17][18][19] The new Central Library and Archive officially opened in September 2017.[20]
Calderdale has seven operational railway stations:Brighouse,Halifax,Hebden Bridge,Mythomroyd,Sowerby Bridge,Todmorden,Walsden. A newElland railway station received planning permission in 2023 and construction is expected to begin in 2024 for a potential opening date of December 2025.[21]
The train operators in the borough areNorthern andGrand Central. Destinations for services includeBradford Interchange,Huddersfield,Leeds,York,Manchester Victoria,Blackpool North,Wigan North Western,Chester,Warrington Bank Quay,Hull,Preston,Burnley Manchester Road andLondon King's Cross.
Twoselective schools in Calderdale jointly administer an 11+ admissions exam:The Crossley Heath School, in Savile Park andNorth Halifax Grammar School in Illingworth.
Both schools achieve excellentGCSE andA-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.[citation needed]
Calderdale College is a local further education college on Francis Street, in Halifax. In December 2006 it was announced that Calderdale College, in partnership withLeeds Metropolitan University, would open a new higher education institution in January 2007 called University Centre Calderdale.[22]
In terms of television, Calderdale is served byBBC Yorkshire andITV Yorkshire broadcasting from theEmley Moor transmitter.[23]
Radio stations for the area:[24]
There are three current swimming pools in Calderdale. These are located inTodmorden,Brighouse andSowerby Bridge.Halifax is currently in the phase of getting a new swimming pool after the old pool shut in 2021.
Other sports facilities include North Bridge Leisure Centre (Halifax, Currently Closed),Sowerby Bridge Swimming Pool,Brighouse Leisure Centre and Pool,Todmorden Swimming Pool, The Shay Stadium (Halifax Towns Football Pitch) and Spring Hall (Halifax, Track and field).
There are eightcivil parishes in Calderdale, covering the western part of the borough. The eastern part of the borough, covering Brighouse, Elland, Halifax, Shelf and Sowerby Bridge, is anunparished area. The two parish councils of Hebden Royd and Todmorden take the style "town council".[25]
The borough contains numerous settlements, including:
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Calderdale Metropolitan Borough Council was granted acoat of arms in 1977. ThePaschal lamb is the emblem ofJohn the Baptist, the patron saint of wool workers. It was shown on the former arms ofHalifax. The green and blue wavy line of theshield symbolises theRiver Calder and Calder Valley. The white rose is forYorkshire. Thecrest shows a rose bush with nine white flowers representing the nine former authorities that now comprise the Calderdale district. The bush is shown growing out of a mural crown, a common feature in municipal arms. The lionsupporters are taken from the arms of Halifax and also forEngland. A lion also featured on the shield of the arms ofBrighouse. The black crescents, also from the arms of Brighouse, are featured on the arms of the Brighouse family. The blue wave around each lion's collar is from the arms ofTodmorden and represents the Calder again. The motto,Industria arte prundentia, is Latin for 'Industry, skill, and foresight'.[26][27]
The following people and military units have received theFreedom of the Borough of Calderdale.
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53°43′N1°58′W / 53.72°N 1.97°W /53.72; -1.97
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