Editing Kirklees (section)

==Geography==
[[File:Kirklees District Areas.svg|thumb|right|260px|Map showing parished and unparished areas of the borough]]
Kirklees sits in quite a central position to all the other surrounding unitary boroughs of West Yorkshire, with people living in the northern parts commuting to [[Leeds]] and [[York]] for work and education. People living in the western parts commute to [[Bradford]], [[Halifax, West Yorkshire|Halifax]] and [[Huddersfield]] for education and work. People living in the southern and eastern parts commute to [[Wakefield]], [[Barnsley]], [[Sheffield]] and [[Manchester]] for work and education. The largest towns and principal districts in the borough are [[Huddersfield]], [[Dewsbury]], [[Batley]], [[Heckmondwike]] and [[Cleckheaton]].

The principal settlements of Kirklees are [[Mill towns in the United Kingom|mill towns]] in the [[Colne Valley]], [[Holme Valley]], [[River Calder, West Yorkshire|Calder Valley]] and [[River Spen|Spen Valley]]. Those areas of the district with a more urban character bound [[Calderdale]] to the west, [[City of Bradford|Bradford]] to the north-west, [[City of Leeds|Leeds]] to the north-east and [[City of Wakefield|Wakefield]] to the east.

The district also includes several rural villages, with the largest rural area extending from the south of Huddersfield. The Pennine countryside to the south-west of Meltham and [[Holme, West Yorkshire|Holme]] lies within the [[Peak District]] National Park.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.peakdistrict.gov.uk/visiting/maps/pdmap|title=Map of Peak District National Park: Peak District National Park|work=Peak District National Park|access-date=29 June 2017|archive-date=6 June 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170606073652/http://www.peakdistrict.gov.uk/visiting/maps/pdmap|url-status=dead}}</ref> This moorland area mostly bounds [[Saddleworth]], a traditional part of Yorkshire but now locally governed from [[Metropolitan Borough of Oldham|Oldham]], [[Greater Manchester]]. There is also a relatively short border with the [[High Peak, Derbyshire|High Peak]] district of [[Derbyshire]], running across the summit of [[Black Hill (Peak District)|Black Hill]], and the main border to the south of Kirklees is with [[Metropolitan Borough of Barnsley|Barnsley]].

The inclusion of two county boroughs resulted in a district without an obvious centre. Over the years there have been suggestions of splitting the district into two, administered from Huddersfield and Dewsbury.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.examiner.co.uk/news/west-yorkshire-news/dewsbury-should-split-from-kirklees-5049749|title=Dewsbury should split from Kirklees|date=29 August 2007|work=Huddersfield Daily Examiner|access-date=29 June 2017}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.thepressnews.co.uk/press-news/tories-announce-plans-to-split-district-in-two|title=Tories announce plans to split district in two|website=The Press|access-date=29 June 2017}}</ref> [[Graham Riddick]], as MP for [[Colne Valley (UK Parliament constituency)|Colne Valley]], campaigned for a split in the early 1990s.<ref>{{cite hansard|date=3 March 1992 |house=House of Commons |column=717 |title=House of Commons Hansard Debates for 9 Mar 1992 |url=http://www.parliament.the-stationery-office.co.uk/pa/cm199192/cmhansrd/1992-03-09/Debate-6.html |url-status=dead |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20070930033504/http://www.parliament.the-stationery-office.co.uk/pa/cm199192/cmhansrd/1992-03-09/Debate-6.html |archivedate=30 September 2007 }}</ref><ref>{{cite hansard |url=http://www.parliament.the-stationery-office.co.uk/pa/cm199394/cmhansrd/1993-11-22/Debate-8.html |date=22 November 1993 |house=House of Commons |column=277 |title=House of Commons Hansard Debates for 22 Nov 1993 |url-status=dead |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20070930033657/http://www.parliament.the-stationery-office.co.uk/pa/cm199394/cmhansrd/1993-11-22/Debate-8.html |archivedate=30 September 2007 }} {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070930033657/http://www.parliament.the-stationery-office.co.uk/pa/cm199394/cmhansrd/1993-11-22/Debate-8.html |date=30 September 2007 }}</ref> A similar ambition was mentioned by [[Elizabeth Peacock]], MP for [[Batley and Spen (UK Parliament constituency)|Batley and Spen]] in 1991.<ref>{{cite hansard|column=711|house=House of Commons|date=8 May 1991|url=https://publications.parliament.uk/pa/cm199091/cmhansrd/1991-05-08/Orals-1.html|title=Local Government}}</ref> The boundaries of metropolitan boroughs were outside the remit of the [[Local Government Commission for England (1992)|Banham Commission]] appointed to review local government structures in 1992 or its successors, and only minor boundary changes were made with neighbouring districts in 1994.<ref>{{cite hansard|url=https://publications.parliament.uk/pa/cm199596/cmhansrd/vo951204/debtext/51204-31.htm|date=4 December 1995|house=House of Commons|title=The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for the Environment (Sir Paul Beresford)|column=118}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.opsi.gov.uk/si/si1993/Uksi_19930473_en_1.htm |title=The Bradford, Kirklees and Leeds (City and Metropolitan Borough Boundaries) Order 1993 |access-date=14 February 2009 |publisher=Office of Public Sector Information |year=1993 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081006161304/http://www.opsi.gov.uk/si/si1993/Uksi_19930473_en_1.htm |archive-date= 6 October 2008 }}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.opsi.gov.uk/SI/si1993/Uksi_19930850_en_1.htm |title=The Calderdale and Kirklees (Metropolitan Borough Boundaries) Order 1993 |access-date=14 February 2009 |publisher=Office of Public Sector Information |year=1993 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080907221341/http://www.opsi.gov.uk/si/si1993/Uksi_19930850_en_1.htm |archive-date= 7 September 2008 }}</ref>

The district includes parts of three postcode areas. Huddersfield and the rural areas to the south have [[HD postcode area|HD]] postcodes, [[Birkenshaw, West Yorkshire|Birkenshaw]], Cleckheaton and [[Gomersal]] have [[BD postcode area|BD]] postcodes, and the rest of the [[Heavy Woollen District|Heavy Woollen]] area has [[WF postcode area|WF]] postcodes. Similarly the district is split between several telephone dialling codes, with most residents in the 01484 (Huddersfield), 01274 (Bradford) and 01924 (Wakefield) codes.  A small number of residents in Birchencliffe and Birkenshaw villages fall within the 01422 (Halifax) and 0113 (Leeds) codes respectively.