Metropolitan Borough of Bolton – Wikipedia

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Borough of Greater Manchester, England

For the main settlement, see Bolton.

Metropolitan borough in England

The Metropolitan Borough of Bolton is a metropolitan borough of Greater Manchester, England, named after its largest town, Bolton, but covering a far larger area which includes Blackrod, Farnworth, Horwich, Kearsley,
Westhoughton, and part of the West Pennine Moors. It had a population of 276,800 at the 2011 census, making it the fourth-most populous district in Greater Manchester.[1]

The boundaries were set by the Local Government Act 1972, and cover eight former local government districts; seven Urban Districts from the administrative county of Lancashire, and the County Borough of Bolton. The metropolitan districts of Bury, Salford and Wigan lie to the east, south and west respectively; and the unitary authority of Blackburn with Darwen and the non-metropolitan district of Chorley in Lancashire to the north and north-west.

History[edit]

The metropolitan borough was formed on 1 April 1974, by the merger of the County Borough of Bolton and the following districts from the administrative county of Lancashire:

Bolton Council unsuccessfully petitioned Elizabeth II for the Metropolitan Borough of Bolton to be granted city status in 1992 (the Queen’s 40th year as monarch), in 2000 (for the Millennium celebrations), in 2002 (Queen’s Golden Jubilee), and 2012 (Queen’s Diamond Jubilee).[2]

Parishes[edit]

Horwich, Westhoughton and Blackrod are now constituted as civil parishes. There are three Town Councils in the metropolitan borough, Westhoughton Town Council, Horwich Town Council and Blackrod Town Council. The rest of the metropolitan borough, Bolton, Farnworth, Kearsley, Little Lever, and South Turton, have remained unparished areas since 1974.

Demographics[edit]

According to the 2011 census, of the 276,787people living in Bolton Metropolitan Borough, the following ethnicities have been recorded:

  • 81.9% White
  • 14.0% Asian
  • 1.8% Mixed Race
  • 1.7% Black
  • 0.7% Other

Population change[edit]

The table below details the population change since 1801, including the percentage change since the last available census data. Although the Metropolitan Borough of Bolton has only existed since 1974, figures have been generated by combining data from the towns, villages, and civil parishes that would later be constituent parts of the borough.

Population growth in Bolton since 1801
Year Population ±%
1801 37,417 —    
1811 48,996 +30.9%
1821 60,319 +23.1%
1831 75,787 +25.6%
1841 89,507 +18.1%
1851 105,957 +18.4%
1861 132,437 +25.0%
Year Population ±%
1871 158,917 +20.0%
1881 185,397 +16.7%
1891 216,792 +16.9%
1901 240,014 +10.7%
1911 265,733 +10.7%
1921 263,413 −0.9%
1931 261,119 −0.9%
Year Population ±%
1941 256,207 −1.9%
1951 251,388 −1.9%
1961 255,627 +1.7%
1971 259,993 +1.7%
1981 260,229 +0.1%
1991 262,880 +1.0%
2001 261,035 −0.7%
Pre-1974 statistics were gathered from local government areas that now comprise the Metropolitan Borough of Bolton
Source: Vision of Britain[3]

Transport[edit]

The Bolton metropolitan area is served by the following railway stations:

Education[edit]

In 2007, Bolton was ranked 69th out of the 149 Local Education Authorities – and sixth out of ten in Greater Manchester – for its National Curriculum assessment performance.[4] Measured on the percentage of pupils attaining at least 5 A*–C grades at GCSE including maths and English, the Bolton LEA was 111th out of 149: 40.1% of pupils achieved this objective, against a national average of 46.7%.[5] Unauthorised absence from Bolton’s secondary schools in the 2006/2007 academic year was 1.4%, in line with the national average, and authorised absence was 6.0% against the national average of 6.4%.[6] At GCSE level, Bolton School (Girls’ Division) was the most successful of Bolton’s 21 secondary schools, with 99% of pupils achieving at least 5 A*–C grades at including maths and English.[7]

The University of Bolton is one of Greater Manchester’s four universities. In 2008, The Times Good University Guide ranked it 111th of 113 institutions in Britain.[8] There are 4,440 students (83% undergraduate, 17% postgraduate); 2.6% come from outside Britain. In 2007 there were 8.8 applications for every place, and student satisfaction was recorded as 74.4%. It is one of Britain’s newest universities, having been given this status in 2005.[9]

GCSE Examination Performance 2009[edit]

  • The table on the left shows the percentage of students gaining five A* to C grades, including English and Maths, for secondary schools in the Metropolitan Borough of Bolton.
  • The table on the right shows the Average Total Point Score per Student for secondary schools in the Metropolitan Borough of Bolton.
  • Schools highlighted in yellow are above the LEA average; those highlighted in orange are below the average.
  • Another secondary school, Bolton Muslim Girls’ School, has opened since January 2007; no results are available.
  • Source: Department for Children, Schools and Families[permanent dead link]

Leaders of Bolton Council[edit]

Twin towns[edit]

The Metropolitan Borough of Bolton has two twin towns, one in France and another in Germany.[10]

Neighbouring districts[edit]

Freedom of the Borough[edit]

The following people and military units have received the Freedom of the Borough of Merton.

Individuals[edit]

Military units[edit]

[12]

See also[edit]

References[edit]

External links[edit]