West Riding County Council (WRCC) was the county council of the administrative county of the West Riding of Yorkshire from 1 April 1889 to 31 March 1974. The council met at County Hall in Wakefield.
The county council had jurisdiction over the administrative county of the West Riding and therefore did not include county boroughs which were independent of the county council but associated with the county for other purposes. At the time of its formation in 1889 there were six county boroughs; Bradford, Halifax, Huddersfield, Leeds, Sheffield and York. The administrative county was reduced when the county boroughs of Rotherham (1902), Barnsley (1913), Dewsbury (1913), Wakefield (1915) and Doncaster (1927) were formed.
Responsibilities and service provision
The County Council was responsible for the provision of services that included; health services (mothers & infants, children and school health services), welfare services for the young, elderly and infirm, the provision of ambulance services, primary and secondary education, library services, the police and fire services, highways and bridges, weights & measures and planning. To support these activities the Council administered specialist services that included finance, the County Architects Department and the Registration of Births, Deaths and Marriages.Meet your County Council : West Riding County Council : Wakefield : The Bureau of Current Affairs : London : [c.1949/50]
Although not an elected politician, Sir Alec Clegg exerted substantial influence as Chief Education Officer from 1945 to 1974, directing innovative reforms in schooling and teacher training that defined much of the council's legacy in public administration.
Political control The county council consisted of elected councillors and co-opted county aldermen. The entire body of county councillors was elected every three years. Aldermen were additional members, there being a ratio of one alderman to three councillors. Aldermen had a six-year term of office, and one half of their number were elected by the councillors immediately after the triennial elections. This was the same in all county councils at this time, as defined by the Local Government Act 1888.
From the establishment of the county council in 1889 onwards the Liberal party won overall control of the council at successive county council elections, dominating the council from 1889 to 1914. Liberal domination of the council however was peppered with several years of no overall control; in 1903 and after 1912. At no point did the Liberals lose their administrative control of the council, and in the years it lacked an overall majority it relied on support from Independent and Liberal Unionist councilors.
Election Party in control Council Type 1889LiberalCounty Council 1892 1895 1898 1901 1904 1907 1910 1913No overall control 1919 1922 1925 1928 1931Socialist 1934 1937 1946Labour 1949No overall control 1952 Labour 1955No overall control 1958 1961 1964 1967 1970
Chairmen
The Chairman was the formal head of the council, though significant power was exercised through committees. The Chairman was elected annually by the council from the members or aldermen and presided over meetings. Portraits of many chairmen are held at County Hall, Wakefield.
Chairman From To Marquess of Ripon 1889 1893 Charles Milnes Gaskell 1893 1910 John C Horsfall 1910 1916 James Hinchcliffe 1916 1933 G Bernard Lomas-Walker 1933 1937 William Cartwright 1937 1946 Thomas Tomlinson 1946 1949 J H Armistead 1949 1952 Thomas Tomlinson 1952 1955 Joseph Hudson 1955 1958 Walter Hyman 1958 1964 Jessie Smith 1964 1967 Joseph Hudson 1967 1970 Thomas Harold Ives 1970 1974
Further reading
References