The Save Saddleworth Referendum
Local opinion was dismayed at the decisions taken by the Urban District
Council. A Save Saddleworth Campaign was formed to canvas for Saddleworth
to stay in one piece, preferably remaining under administrative control
from Yorkshire. If change had to take place, the campaigners wanted
the residents to decide by ballot which authority they prefered.
On Thursday,18 June, the day of the 1970 general election, an ad hoc
referendum was organised by the campaigners as an exit poll outside
the 14 Saddleworth polling stations. More than 8,000 people took part
in the "Save Saddleworth" referendum - and the overwhelming
majority voted in favour of being linked with Huddersfield. Oldham was
bottom of the poll. Voters were asked to choose the authority they would
prefer if they had to link with a larger body. The voting results were:
Huddersfield 5,963
Ashton-under-Lyne 1,837
Oldham 890
A march of about 350 Saddleworth people took place the following Monday,
to present the results of the referendum to the Chairman of Saddleworth
UDC. The results were read out to the crowd and relayed to a meeting
of the council which was at the time in progress. Reacting immediately,
the council voted to accept the referendum as a true expression of the
views of Saddleworth and decided to rescind its earlier decision to
go with Oldham.
Saddleworth joins Oldham and Greater Manchester
Despite the strength of local opposition the new government resolved
to press ahead with the Maud recommendations. The Local Government Act
of 1972 abolished the Urban District of Saddleworth and the West Riding
County Council and created the new Metropolitan Borough of Oldham, and
a new administrative County of Greater Manchester. Saddleworth was to
form a constituent part of both of these new local government entities.
The boundaries of the new administrative county of West Yorkshire were
to end at Stanedge. Despite local protest this new arrangement came
in force on the 1 April 1974.
County Confusion?
Despite the fact that a number of new local authorities had been created
nationally which the Act called Counties, the Government of the day
made it clear that the changes were only for administrative purposes
and that the ancient or geographic counties had not been abolished.
"The new county boundaries are solely for the purpose of defining
areas of ....local government. They are administrative areas, and will
not alter the traditional boundaries of Counties, nor is it intended
that the loyalties of people living in them will change". [Government
statement made on 1 April 1974 at the time of implementation of the
LGA 1972].
Nevertheless, not surprisingly, confusion followed in the minds of the
media and general public. Could someone living in Oldham MB be living
in Yorkshire when they were in the County of Greater Manchester?. Was
Oldham still in Lancashire and if Saddleworth was in Oldham MB was it
not, therefore, also now in Lancashire? Calling the Metropolitan Borough
Oldham after one of its seven constituent parts only exacerbated this
problem in people's minds. Had Oldham MB been called West Pennine MB
for example such confusion would not have arisen.
The problem was compounded when the County Council of Greater Manchester
was abolished in 1985, but a number of residual bodies covering health,
buses, and emergency services were continued. Popular usage of the regional
description Greater Manchester and the creation of a Lord Lieutenancy
of Greater Manchester since this date has perpetuated the concept of
a Greater Manchester County
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