Saddleworth White Rose Society

 

in the county of York

 

 

 

 

Saddleworth  Still Part of Yorkshire

1974 Changes

The 1974  local government reorganisation caused much confusion throughout Britain. Administrative areas were created which in no way affected the traditional historical boundaries of existing counties. Unfortunately these administrative areas were called counties and were superimposed on top of the existing counties, even though in many cases they did not follow the traditional county boundary lines, which still legally exist, resulting in many people being utterly confused as to which county they lived in. Many of these administrative councils such as Greater Manchester were dissolved in 1986 and their powers passed to Metropolitan Boroughs, but still the administrative boundaries cross the traditional county boundaries.

 

In the case of Saddleworth the administration is no longer controlled from Wakefield but has been transferred to the Metropolitan Borough of Oldham but nevertheless Saddleworth remains a part of Yorkshire, just as Chadderton, Failsworth, Royton, Oldham, and Lees remain a part of Lancashire although they are not administered by Lancashire County Counci

In 1974 Oldham Metropolitan Borough was formed being made up of Saddleworth 18,485 acres, Oldham 6,392 acres,  Chadderton 3,014 acres, Crompton 2,865 acres, Royton 2,148 acres, Failsworth 1,679 acres, and Lees 288 acres, The choice of name for this Borough was rather unfortunate because it gave the impression that Oldham took over the rest.

The neighbouring  Borough of Tameside was perhaps more considerate in not naming the Borough after any one district and this appears to have resulted in less of a problem in recognising that their districts like those in the Oldham, Metropolitan Borough are not all in the same county; Ashton, Droylsden, and Denton being in Lancashire, Dukinfield, Stalybridge and Mottram in Longdendale being in Cheshire and Mossley being in Lancashire, Cheshire and Yorkshire.

In the Oldham Metropolitan Borough very few people seem to realise that Saddleworth is in Yorkshire and has never been anywhere else and as Saddleworth makes up 53% of the Borough most of the Borough is actually in Yorkshire. The pre 1974 Oldham was quite a different entity to the present Borough and Oldham like Saddleworth and the rest is just one of the seven districts that make up the present Oldham Metropolitan Borough.

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