In 1930, following the abolition of the Huddersfield Poor Law Union, the Huddersfield Borough Council took over responsibility for the administration of poor relief in the town. This included The Leas, the children's cottage homes at Scholes, near Holmfirth, which now came under the management of the council's new Public Assistance Committee. The Leas, which had been opened by the union in 1925, accommodated 100 children.

The Leas, Scholes, 2014. © Peter Higginbotham

In around 1937, The Leas site was taken over by the West Riding County Council. In its place, Huddersfield Council opened new home at Springwood Hall, an old mansion off Greenhead Road, Huddersfield, accommodating just twenty children.

By 1942, Springwood Hall had been been replaced by Fieldhead, a large house at 1 Lidget Street, Lindley, with accommodation for 52 children.

Fieldhead, Lindley, 2014. © Peter Higginbotham

Soon afterwards, an additional temporary home for 25 children was opened in a property known as The Headlands, at Clare Hill, Huddersfield. By 1947, The Headlands had been replaced by Briarcourt, a large house at 30 Occupation Road, Lindley, a short distance from Fieldhead.

Briarcourt, Lindley, 2014. © Peter Higginbotham

Following the passing of the 1948 Children Act, councils were required to provide care services for all needy children in their area, especially those who lacked a normal family home. In common with other local authorities, the council established a new Children's Committee, whose responsibilities had previously been spread across separate Health, Education and Social Welfare Committees. Under the new regime, residential care was seen as the least desirable option for children in care, but when it was employed, the recommended size of home was eight children, or twelve at most.

By 1949, the council's two homes at Lindley had been supplemented by Oakfield Lodge, on Bryan Road, Huddersfield. The Fieldhead site was subsequently developed to provide two residential nurseries, known as Fieldhead and Oakmead, each providing 30 places, and a semi-detached pair of cottage homes, named Holme Lea and Church View, each housing eleven children. By 1954, a new home for 15 children was in operation at Fartown Grange, 28 Spaines Road, Fartown, and a hostel for working boys had been opened at Laurel Bank, 4 Cowlersley Lane, Milnsbridge. In 1959, three further homes had been added: Ash Villa, at 3 Wood Lane, Newsome, provided 20 places, while the other two — Fernside, 84 Aldonley, Almondbury, and 6 Copthorn Gardens, Bradley — were 9-bed 'family group' homes.

Ash Villa had closed by 1964 and three further 9-bed 'family group' homes had been opened: Dryclough, 2 Ballater Avenue, Crosland Moor; Reinwood, 47 Burfitts Road, Oakes; and Haigh, 76 Grosvenor Road, Dalton. All the family group homes used the same basic design, one that had also been adopted by by the Leeds Council. Another small home, Caldercliffe, was opened in around 1970 at Calder Drive, Almondbury.

In 1971, local authority children's departments were absorbed into their new social services departments. Following the local government reorganisation that took place in 1974, responsibility for local government in Huddersfield passed to Kirklees Metropolitan District Council, with its headquarters in Huddersfield. As well as inheriting the homes previously run by the Huddersfield Council, Kirklees also took over several homes previously run by the West Riding County Council: The Leas at Scholes, Follingworth House at Gomersal, and Gomersal House at Gomersal.