Conservative MP Edward Stanhope (Mid Lincolnshire) said that he had found feeling in the area to be in favour of 'Birstal', but the President of the Local Government Board Sir Charles Dilke, speaking for the Government, stated that the local boards in Heckmondwike, Liversedge and Cleckheaton (where a majority of the population lived) had sent a memorial in favour of 'Spen Valley'.
Edward Stanhope, a Conservative MP from Mid Lincolnshire, asserted that locals supported 'Birstal', while Sir Charles Dilke, on behalf of the Government, stated that local boards in Heckmondwike, Liversedge, and Cleckheaton (where most residents lived), had submitted a memorial advocating for 'Spen Valley'.