The county has an area of 2,029 km2 (783 sq mi) and a population of 2.3 million, making it the fourth-largest ceremonial county by population. The centre of the county is urbanised, with Leeds located in the north-east, the city ofWakefield in the south-east,Huddersfield in the south-west, and the city ofBradford in the north-west. The outer areas of the county are rural. For local government purposes the county comprises fivemetropolitan boroughs:Bradford,Calderdale,Kirklees,Leeds, andWakefield, which collaborate throughWest Yorkshire Combined Authority. The county was created in 1974, prior to which the area was within theWest Riding of Yorkshire.
The western part of West Yorkshire is in theSouth Pennines, and contains a small part of thePeak District National Park. It is characterised by steep valleys and is the source of theRiver Calder, which flows past Wakefield before meeting theAire, which flows through Leeds, nearCastleford. The landscape becomes flatter in the east, and the eastern boundary of the county is on the edge of theVale of York.
Remnants of strong coal, wool and iron ore industries remain in the county, having attracted people over the centuries, and this can be seen in the buildings and architecture. Several railways and theM1,M621,M606,A1(M) andM62 motorways traverse the county.
West Yorkshire County Council was abolished in 1986 and its five districts effectively becameunitary authorities. The metropolitan county, covering an area of 2,029 square kilometres (783 sq mi), continues to exist in law and as a geographic frame of reference.[4][5][6]
In Parliament, 13 out of 22 of West Yorkshire's MPs areLabour and 9 are Conservative. 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.
The county borders, going anticlockwise from the west:Lancashire,Greater Manchester,Derbyshire,South Yorkshire andNorth Yorkshire. The terrain of the county mostly consists of thePennines and its foothills which dominate the west of the county and gradually descend into theVale of York andHumberhead Levels in the east. Geologically, it lies almost entirely on rocks of carboniferous age which form the inner Southern Pennine fringes in the west[9] and the Yorkshire coalfield further eastwards.[10] In the extreme east of the metropolitan county there are younger deposits ofMagnesian Limestone.[11] Areas in the west such as Bradford and Calderdale are dominated by the scenery of the eastern slopes of theSouth Pennines, dropping from upland in the west down to the east, and dissected by many steep-sided valleys while a small part of the northernPeak District extends into the south west of Kirklees. Large-scale industry, housing, public and commercial buildings of differing heights, transport routes and open countryside conjoin. 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, as shaped the first urban-rural juxtapositions ofDavid Hockney. Where most rural the land crops up in the such rhymes and folklore asOn Ilkla Moor Baht 'at, date unknown, the early 19th century novels and poems of theBrontë family often in and aroundHaworth and long-running light comedy-dramaLast of the Summer Wine in the 20th century.
The carboniferous rocks of the Yorkshire coalfield further east have produced a rolling landscape with hills, escarpments and broad valleys in the outer fringes of the Pennines. 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.[citation needed] 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.[citation needed] In theMagnesian 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.[citation needed] The riversAire andCalder drain the area, flowing from west to east.
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.[12] However theIndustrial 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 ofLeeds 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.[13]
^abQueensbury and Shelf Urban District was split between Bradford and Calderdale in 1974: Queensbury civil parish became part of Bradford; Shelf civil parish became part of Calderdale.
West Yorkshire was formed as a metropolitan county in 1974, by theLocal Government Act 1972, and corresponds roughly to the core of thehistoricWest Riding of Yorkshire and the county boroughs of Bradford, Dewsbury, Halifax, Huddersfield, Leeds, and Wakefield.
West Yorkshire Metropolitan County Council inherited the use ofWest Riding County Hall atWakefield, opened in 1898, from the West Riding County Council in 1974. Since 1987 it has been the headquarters of Wakefield City Council.[14]
The county initially had a two-tier structure of local government with a strategic-level county council and five districts providing most services.[15] 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.[16] Organisations such as theWest Yorkshire Police (governed by theWest Yorkshire Police and Crime Commissioner) continue to operate on this basis.
West Yorkshire containsgreen belt interspersed throughout the county, surrounding the West Yorkshire Urban Area. It was first drawn up in the 1950s. All the county's districts contain large portions of green belt.
West Yorkshire has close ties with Lancashire in terms of history, local identity and infrastructure including with theWar of the Roses andLancashire and Yorkshire Railway.[17][18] Up until the 19th century, the town ofTodmorden was in Lancashire but was moved into Yorkshire.[19] In the 1974 boundary review, the towns ofEarby andBarnoldswick were moved into thePendle district of Lancashire.[20] The civil parish ofSaddleworth inOldham was the only part of West Riding of Yorkshire to be moved into the county of Greater Manchester. The villages in the parish border the towns ofHuddersfield andHolmfirth. There is a strong identity debate with Saddleworth residents who still maintain close connections with Yorkshire including the Saddleworth White Rose Society.[21]
An Act to re-enact with amendments and to extend certain local enactments in force within the metropolitan county of West Yorkshire; to confer further powers on the West Yorkshire Metropolitan County Council, the City of Bradford Metropolitan Council, the Borough Council of Calderdale, the Council of the Borough of Kirklees, the Leeds City Council and the Council of the City of Wakefield; to make further provision with regard to the environment, local government and improvement of the county; and for other purposes.
West Yorkshire is ethnically diverse, hosting large populations of multiple ethnic minority groups. Most notably, the city ofBradford is well known for its large concentration ofBritish Pakistanis, the highest by percentage in the country.Leeds andKirklees also have large British Pakistani populations. Kirklees also hosts a large population ofBritish Indians. West Yorkshire is home to a large Eastern European population, particularlyBritish Poles. Ethnic minorities totalled to over 21% of West Yorkshire's population in 2011.[28]
Distribution of ethnic groups in West Yorkshire according to the 2021 census.
White (2021)
White-British
White-Irish
White-Other
Asian (2021)
Asian-Indian
Asian-Pakistani
Asian-Bangladeshi
Asian-Chinese
Black (2021)
Black-African
Black-Caribbean
Other-Arab
Other-Other ethnic group
Distribution of religions in West Yorkshire according to the 2011 census.
Leeds has since attracted investment from financial institutions, to become a recognised financial centre, with manybanks,building societies andinsurance companies having offices in the city. Wakefield has also attracted many service-based industries, in particularcall centres. Two of the big four supermarkets are from West Yorkshire.Morrisons is based in Bradford, whileAsda is based in Leeds.
West Yorkshire grew up around several industries. Wakefield, Castleford, Pontefract and South and East Leeds were traditionalcoal mining areas.
Wool
Bradford,Halifax andHuddersfield grew through the development ofwoollen mills. Leeds' traditional industry was the manufacturing of cloth while heavier engineering industries facilitated growth in South Leeds.
TheRhubarb Triangle is wholly in West Yorkshire and still produces the vegetable in considerable quantities.[29] Twelve farmers who farm within the Rhubarb Triangle applied to have the name "Yorkshire forced rhubarb" added to the list of foods and drinks that have their names legally protected by the European Commission's Protected Food Name scheme.[30] The application was successful and the farmers in the Rhubarb Triangle were awarded Protected Designation of Origin status (PDO) in February 2010. Food protected status accesses European funding to promote the product and legal backing against other products made outside the area using the name. Other protected names includeStilton cheese,Champagne and Parma Ham.
Coal
The last pit in West Yorkshire to close was Hay Royds Colliery atDenby Dale in 2012 after a flood.[31]
Several films and television series have been filmed in West Yorkshire's historic areas, particularly around the town ofHalifax.[32][33] For example, portions of the BBC television seriesHappy Valley were filmed in Huddersfield; in addition to exteriors, some of the studio filming was done at North Light Film Studios at Brookes Mill, Huddersfield. As well, interiors for the BBC'sJamaica Inn, for the BBC'sRemember Me and for ITV seriesBlack Work, were also filmed at the studios.[34][35][36][37] More recently, many of the exteriors of the BBC seriesJericho were filmed at the nearby Rockingstone Quarry and some interior work was done at North Light Film Studios.[38]
Leeds is the most popular shopping destination in West Yorkshire, and the wider region, with several notable retail destinations. Briggate and The Headrow are the most important shopping streets, whileTrinity Leeds,Kirkgate Market (the biggest indoor market in Europe) and theWhite Rose Centre are regionally dominant shopping destinations.Victoria Leeds is nationally known for hosting many 'first outside of London' labels such asHarvey Nichols andAnthropologie.
Leeds is also a popular weekend destination for nightlife, with several famous bars and clubs across a variety of different districts. The city's gay village is the largest in Yorkshire.
A wide range of towns and cities are connected by rail toLeeds railway station, which is the busiest station in northern England and the main national gateway to West Yorkshire. TheM62 motorway is the main east-west motorway in the county, connecting the largest towns and cities of West Yorkshire, while the M1 forms a key north-south axis from Leeds to Wakefield and beyond towards London.
Outside of the main cities, signposted walks follow rivers and the escarpment of the Pennines, which is scaled in meandering stages and tunnels by the recreationalLeeds-Liverpool Canal andRochdale Canal, navigable by barge, canoe or kayak. TheYorkshire Sculpture Park andThe Hepworth in Wakefield are major national art attractions, whileHaworth is visited for being the home of theBronte Sisters.Ilkley,Otley,Hebden Bridge andHolmfirth are popular smaller towns featuring farmer's markets, breweries, tea rooms, stately homes and are popular with hikers.
Unlike South Yorkshire, West Yorkshire has no light transit system; theLeeds Supertram was proposed but was later cancelled after the withdrawal of government funding.[39][40] As of 2025, consultation and planning for a new tram proposal is ongoing.[41][42] Public transport is run under the authority ofWest Yorkshire Metro.[citation needed]
In 2022, theWest Yorkshire Combined Authority won its bids for the Zero Emission Bus Regional Areas (ZEBRA) scheme and Bus Service Improvement Plan (BSIP) scheme, the successful ZEBRA funding will see the introduction of between 179 and 245 zero-emissionelectric buses with the necessary infrastructure whilst the BSIP plan will give theWest Yorkshire Combined Authority £70 million out of a desired £168 million to implement the improvements outlined in the authority's BSIP.[45][46][47][48]
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