South Yorkshire

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South Yorkshire
Image:EnglandSouthYorkshire.png
Geography
Status Ceremonial and Metropolitan county (no county council)
Origin 1974
Region Yorkshire and the Humber
Historic county Yorkshire (West Riding)
Area
- Total
Ranked 38th
1,552 km2 (599 sq mi)
ONS code 2C
NUTS 3 UKE3
Demographics
Population
- Total (2007 est.)
- Density
Ranked 10th
1,299,400
838 / km²
Ethnicity 95.0% White
2.6% S.Asian
2.4% Black
Politics
Members of Parliament
Districts
Image:SouthYorkshireNumbered.png
  1. Sheffield
  2. Rotherham
  3. Doncaster
  4. Barnsley

South Yorkshire is a metropolitan county, located in the Yorkshire and the Humber region of England. The county was created in 1974 by the Local Government Act 19721 and in 2001 covered an area of 1,552.05 km2 (599.25 sq mi).2

Contents

Divisions and environs

South Yorkshire is divided into four local government districts; they are the City of Sheffield, the Metropolitan Borough of Doncaster, the Metropolitan Borough of Barnsley and the Metropolitan Borough of Rotherham.3

Geography

The county borders Derbyshire, West Yorkshire, North Yorkshire, East Riding of Yorkshire, Lincolnshire and Nottinghamshire. The metropolitan county lies largely on the carboniferous rocks of the Yorkshire coalfield which have produced a rolling landscape with hills, escarpments and broad valleys. In this landscape there is widespread evidence of both current and former industrial activity. There are numerous mine buildings, former spoil heaps and iron and steel plants. 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.4

Major rivers which cross the area are the Dearne, Rother and Don. To the east, in the Doncaster area the landscape becomes flatter as the eastward dipping carboniferous rocks of the coalfield are overlain by the lacustrine deposits of the Humberhead Levels.5 There is very little evidence of glaciation in the area as it lies largely beyond the limit of the last glaciation.

History

Coat of Arms of South Yorkshire

The main settlements of South Yorkshire grew up around the industries of mining and steel manufacturing. The main mining industry was coal which was concentrated to the north and east of the county. There were also iron deposits which were mined in the area. The rivers running off the Pennines to the west of the county supported the steel industry that is concentrated in the city of Sheffield. The proximity of the iron and coal also made this an ideal place for steel manufacture.

Although Christian nonconformism was never as strong in South Yorkshire as in the mill towns of West Yorkshire, there are still many Methodist and Baptist churches in the area. Also, South Yorkshire has a relatively high number of followers of spiritualism. It is the only county that counts as a full region in the Spiritualists' National Union.6

South Yorkshire was created as a metropolitan county in 1974, by the Local Government Act 1972, from the southern part of the West Riding of Yorkshire and the former county boroughs of Barnsley, Doncaster, Rotherham and Sheffield. It initially had a two tier structure of local government with a strategic-level county council and four districts providing most services.7

In 1974, as part of the South Yorkshire Structure Plan of the environment, conservation and land use, South Yorkshire County Council commissioned a public attitudes survey covering job opportunities, educational facilities, leisure opportunities, health and medical services, shopping centres and transport in the county.8

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.9 The joint boards continue to function and include the South Yorkshire Police Authority and the South Yorkshire Passenger Transport Executive.10

Although the county council was abolished, South Yorkshire remains a metropolitan and ceremonial county with a Lord Lieutenant of South Yorkshire and a High Sheriff.

Economy

As one of the least prosperous areas in Western Europe, South Yorkshire has been targeted for funding from the European Regional Development Fund. This is a chart of trend of regional gross value added of South Yorkshire at current basic prices with figures in millions of British Pounds Sterling.11

Year Regional Gross Value Added12 Agriculture13 Industry14 Services15
1995 10,453 67 3,690 6,696
2000 13,187 53 4,181 8,954
2003 15,799 57 4,772 10,971

Settlements

See also: List of civil parishes in South Yorkshire

The table below outlines many of the county's settlements, and is formatted according to their metropolitan borough.

Metropolitan county Metropolitan borough Centre of administration Other places
South Yorkshire Barnsley (borough) Barnsley (town) Birdwell, Cudworth, Darfield, Darton, Dodworth, Great Houghton, Grimethorpe, Hoyland Nether, Royston, Penistone, Thurnscoe, Wombwell, Worsbrough
Doncaster (borough) Doncaster (town) Adwick le Street, Armthorpe, Askern, Bawtry, Bentley, Conisbrough, Finningley, Hatfield, Kirk Sandall, Mexborough, Moorends, Stainforth, Rossington, Norton, Thorne, Tickhill,
Rotherham (borough) Rotherham (town) Anston, Aughton, Dinnington, Harthill, Maltby, Rawmarsh, Scholes, Swinton, Thorpe Hesley, Todwick, Treeton, Thurcroft, Wales, Wath-upon-Dearne, Woodsetts
City of Sheffield Sheffield City Centre Beighton, Chapeltown, Highlane, Mosborough, Oughtibridge, Stocksbridge, Wharncliffe Side

Of these settlements above, South Yorkshire has three main urban areas: the Dearne Valley which covers Barnsley and surrounding area; the Sheffield urban area which covers Sheffield, Rotherham and surrounding area; and the Doncaster urban area which covers Doncaster and surrounding area.

Places of interest

See also: Culture of Sheffield

Notes

  1. ^ Arnold-Baker, C., Local Government Act 1972, (1973)
  2. ^ Vision of Britain - South Yorkshire area
  3. ^ Vision of Britain - Components of South Yorkshire
  4. ^ "Nottinghamshire, Derbyshire and Yorkshire Coalfield". www.countryside.gov.uk. Retrieved on 2008-10-06.
  5. ^ "Humberhead Levels". www.countryside.gov.uk. Retrieved on 2008-10-06.
  6. ^ Churches and Centres Affiliated to the SNU South Yorkshire District
  7. ^ Redcliffe-Maud & Wood, B., English Local Government Reformed, (1974)
  8. ^ Courtenay, G. and Field, J., South Yorkshire structure plan: public attitude survey, (1975)
  9. ^ Kingdom, J., Local Government and Politics in Britain, (1991)
  10. ^ South Yorkshire Passenger Transport Executive
  11. ^ "Regional Gross Value Added" (PDF) pp. 240–253. Office for National Statistics (2005-12-21). Retrieved on 2008-10-06.
  12. ^ Components may not sum to totals due to rounding
  13. ^ includes hunting and forestry
  14. ^ includes energy and construction
  15. ^ includes financial intermediation services indirectly measured

External links


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  • This page was last modified on 15 November 2008, at 18:55.

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