[an error occurred while processing this directive] Kirklees Council Homes
Ancestry UK

Kirklees Council Homes

The Metropolitan Borough of Kirklees was created in 1974 as part of a reorganisation of local government in England and Wales. The new area was centred on Huddersfield and took in a number of surrounding towns including Batley, Birstall, Cleckheaton, Denby Dale, Dewsbury, Heckmondwike, Holmfirth, Kirkburton, Marsden, Meltham, Mirfield and Slaithwaite. The new Kirklees Council took over the operation of social services in the borough, including the children's homes previously run by the West Yorkshire County Council and the Huddersfield and Dewsbury Borough Councils.

Children's establishments run at some time in their history by Kirklees Council.


 
  • Holme Lea, 1A Lidget Street, Lindley, Huddersfield
  • Church View, 1B Lidget Street, Lindley, Huddersfield
  • Oakmead Residential Nursery, 1C Lidget Street, Lindley, Huddersfield
  • Dryclough, 2 Ballater Avenue, Crosland Moor, Huddersfield
  • Reinwood, 47 Burfitts Road, Oakes, Huddersfield
  • Bradley, 6 Copthorne Gardens, Bradley, Huddersfield
  • Haigh Home, 76 Grosvenor Road, Dalton, Huddersfield
  • Caldercliffe, Calder Drive, Berry Brow, Almondbury, Huddersfield
  • Home for Teenagers, Fartown Grange, 28 Spaines Road, Fartown, Huddersfield
  • Residential Nursery, Fernside, 84 Aldonley, Almondbury, Huddersfield
  • Cottage Homes, The Leas, Scholes

Records

The involvement of local authorities in the running of children's homes dates from 1930, when they took over the running of the poor relief system previously administered by Boards of Guardians. Surviving records for council-run children's homes may be held in each council's own internal archives. Prior to 1991, however, when a legal requirement was introduced for councils to retain records of children leaving their care, the survival of such records is very variable. Contact details for local authorities in the UK can be found on the website of the Care Leavers Association (CLA). The CLA also provides guidance on accessing childhood care files, which are normally only open to the individuals they relate to.

Locating local authority records has been complicated by the various local government reorganizations that have taken place in recent times, such as the abolition of the London County Council in 1965, and the major nationwide restructuring in 1974 in which many administrative areas were created, amended or eliminated.

Older records may sometimes be placed with the relevant county or borough record office. Many of these repositories have online catalogues of their holdings and also contribute to the National Archives' Discovery database. Note that records containing personal data usually have access closed for a period of fifty years or more.

Older material relating to Kirklees Council homes may exist at:

Some records relating to council-run homes, for example inspection reports (though not resident lists etc.), are held by The National Archives (TNA). A closure period may apply to these records.

Bibliography