South Yorkshire
Main towns: South Yorkshire includes the metropolitan areas of Barnsley, Doncaster, Rotherham and Sheffield.
Demographics: Fewer than 5 per cent of the population are non-white British. The index of multiple deprivation shows that 20 per cent of electoral wards in Doncaster, Barnsley and Sheffield and 10 per cent of electoral wards in Rotherham are among the most deprived 10 per cent of areas in England.
Sheffield has 9 per cent of its areas in the 10 per cent least deprived areas in England.
The age structure for South Yorkshire is broadly similar to the average structure for England and Wales, with people aged 60 or over accounting for 21 per cent of the population.
The region is made up of 12 elected representatives appointed by the constituent district councils, which include Barnsley, Doncaster, Rotherham and Sheffield.
South Yorkshire is landlocked, and borders Derbyshire, West Yorkshire, Lincolnshire and Nottinghamshire.
Population: South Yorkshire has a population of just over 1.3 million. Sheffield is the 6th most populated area in England.
Places of Interest: South Yorkshire is the gateway to the Peak District National Park, to Pennine Yorkshire and the Trans Pennine Trail. The Peak District - just five milesfrom the city centre of Sheffield - has a unique landscape of millstone grit with heather moorland and desolate blanket bogs, one of the world's rarest habitats.
The region is also home to award winning galleries, live comedy clubs, the oldest classic horse race in the world, the St Leger, and the World Championship Snooker.
Visitors can enjoy the slopes at Sheffield Ski Village, water sports at Rother Valley, or events at the Doncaster Dome.
Other areas of interest include castles and stately homes. Among the most popular are Conisbrough Castle, Wentworth Castle, Doncaster Mansion House and Roche Abbey. Otherareas of interest include Rother Valley Country Park, RSPB Old Moore Wetland Centre and Ulley Reservoir and Country Park.
House/Flat Prices: The average property price in South Yorkshire, including houses and flats, is £133, 800. Five years ago, in March 2004, the figure stood at £120,000.
Planning issues: The Government approved plans in February 2009 for a new power station in South Yorkshire. The plant at Hatfield is one of three builds that will generatea combined 4 gigawatts of electricity, enough for around four million homes. The other construction sites are Pembroke in West Wales and King's Lynn in Norfolk.
Powerfuel will construct a 900 megawatt integrated coal gasification gas-fired power station at Hatfield.
Plans to spend £7.6million on Rotherham Central railway station have been approved.
The new station will include ticket office, passenger lounge, toilet and shop, new lifts and stairs to replace old ramps, CCTV cameras and better lighting, plus improvedinformation signs and screens.
Campaigners insisted the work was needed to bring the area up to the same standard as stations at Sheffield, Barnsley and Doncaster.