Yorkshire, West. The new metropolitan county of West Yorkshire, established by the Local Government Act of 1972, was built upon the county boroughs of Leeds, Bradford, Halifax, Dewsbury, Huddersfield, and Wakefield. There were substantial changes compared with the old West Riding, which lost large areas in the north-west to Cumbria and Lancashire; Harrogate, Ripon, and Selby to North Yorkshire; and a slice around Penistone and Cudworth to South Yorkshire. It was abolished with the other metropolitan counties in 1985, and divided into the unitary authorities of Bradford, Calderdale (Halifax), Kirklees (Huddersfield), Leeds, and Wakefield.

J. A. Cannon

West Yorkshire Metropolitan county in n central England. It divides into five districts: Bradford, Calderdale, Kirklees, Leeds, and Wakefield (the county town). Area: 2036sq km (786sq mi). Pop. (1997) 2,115,400.

West Yorkshire. See Yorkshire, West.