Blackrod Town Council is a local authority with limited powers and covers the

town A town is a human settlement. Towns are generally larger than villages and smaller than cities, though the criteria to distinguish between them vary considerably in different parts of the world. Origin and use The word "town" shares an o ...

and

civil parish In England, a civil parish is a type of administrative parish used for local government. It is a territorial designation which is the lowest tier of local government below districts and counties, or their combined form, the unitary authorit ...

Blackrod Blackrod is a town and civil parish in the Metropolitan Borough of Bolton, Greater Manchester, England, northeast of Wigan and west of Bolton. At the United Kingdom Census 2011, it had a population of 5,001. Historically part of Lancashire ...

in the

Metropolitan Borough of Bolton '')'' , image_skyline =Bolton Town Hall.jpg , imagesize = 250px , image_caption = Bolton Town Hall, the seat of Bolton Council , image_blank_emblem = Coat of arms of Bolton Metropolitan Borough Council.png , blank_emblem_type = Coat of Arms of ...

Greater Manchester Greater Manchester is a metropolitan county and combined authority area in North West England, with a population of 2.8 million; comprising ten metropolitan boroughs: Manchester, Salford, Bolton, Bury, Oldham, Rochdale, Stockport, Tam ...

, England. It is made up of nine town

Councillors A councillor is an elected representative for a local government council in some countries. Canada Due to the control that the provinces have over their municipal governments, terms that councillors serve vary from province to province. Unl ...

representing three electoral Wards.

Precursor

Blackrod was once a

township A township is a kind of human settlement or administrative subdivision, with its meaning varying in different countries. Although the term is occasionally associated with an urban area, that tends to be an exception to the rule. In Australia, ...

in the

Bolton le Moors Bolton le Moors (also known as Bolton le Moors St Peter) was a large civil parish and ecclesiastical parish in hundred of Salford in the historic county of Lancashire, England. It was administered from St Peter's Church, Bolton in the township o ...

in the historic county of

Lancashire Lancashire ( , ; abbreviated Lancs) is the name of a historic county, ceremonial county, and non-metropolitan county in North West England. The boundaries of these three areas differ significantly. The non-metropolitan county of Lancas ...

, England. Under provisions of the

Poor Relief Act 1662 The Poor Relief Act 1662 (14 Car 2 c 12) was an Act of the Cavalier Parliament of England. It was ''an Act for the Better Relief of the Poor of this Kingdom'' and is also known as the Settlement Act or the Settlement and Removal Act. The purpose ...

, townships replaced civil parishes as the main units of local administration in Lancashire. Blackrod became one of the eighteen autonomous townships of the civil parish of Bolton le Moors. The township appointed

overseers of the poor An overseer of the poor was an official who administered poor relief such as money, food, and clothing in England and various other countries which derived their law from England such as the United States. England In England, overseers of the po ...

who levied a rate to fund the

Poor Law In English and British history, poor relief refers to government and ecclesiastical action to relieve poverty. Over the centuries, various authorities have needed to decide whose poverty deserves relief and also who should bear the cost of he ...

. Highway surveyors were also appointed and funded from the rate to maintain the roads. In 1866, Blackrod's status was elevated from a township to a civil parish. A resolution for the adoption of the

Local Government Act 1858 Local boards or local boards of health were local authorities in urban areas of England and Wales from 1848 to 1894. They were formed in response to cholera epidemics and were given powers to control sewers, clean the streets, regulate environmenta ...

was passed on 9 May 1872 by the owners and ratepayers of the civil parish of Blackrod, and resulted a

local board Local boards or local boards of health were local authorities in urban areas of England and Wales from 1848 to 1894. They were formed in response to cholera epidemics and were given powers to control sewers, clean the streets, regulate environmenta ...

was created to provide for the water supply and drainage of the town. After the

Public Health Act 1875 The Public Health Act 1875c 55 is an Act of the Parliament of the United Kingdom, one of the Public Health Acts, and a significant step in the advancement of public health in England. Its purpose was to codify previous measures aimed at combatin ...

was passed by

Parliament In modern politics, and history, a parliament is a legislative body of government. Generally, a modern parliament has three functions: representing the electorate, making laws, and overseeing the government via hearings and inquiries. Th ...

in that year, Blackrod Local Board assumed extra duties as an

urban sanitary district Sanitary districts were established in England and Wales in 1872 and in Ireland in 1878. The districts were of two types, based on existing structures: *Urban sanitary districts in towns with existing local government bodies *Rural sanitary dis ...

, although the Local Board's title did not change. Following the implementation of the

Local Government Act 1894 The Local Government Act 1894 (56 & 57 Vict. c. 73) was an Act of the Parliament of the United Kingdom that reformed local government in England and Wales outside the County of London. The Act followed the reforms carried out at county level un ...

, Blackrod Local Board was transformed into an elected

urban district Urban district may refer to: * District * Urban area * Quarter (urban subdivision) * Neighbourhood Specific subdivisions in some countries: * Urban districts of Denmark * Urban districts of Germany * Urban district (Great Britain and Ireland) (his ...

council of nine members. Blackrod Urban District Council had three electoral wards: Central, North, and South, each represented by three councillors. Under the

Local Government Act 1972 The Local Government Act 1972 (c. 70) is an Act of the Parliament of the United Kingdom that reformed local government in England and Wales on 1 April 1974. It was one of the most significant Acts of Parliament to be passed by the Heath Gov ...

, Blackrod Urban District was abolished on 1 April 1974 and its former area became a

successor parish Successor parishes are civil parishes with a parish council, created in England in 1974. They replaced, with the same boundaries, a selected group of urban districts and municipal boroughs: a total of 300 successor parishes were formed from the ...

in the

Wards and Councillors

Since 1974, Blackrod is served by a

Town Council A town council, city council or municipal council is a form of local government for small municipalities. Usage of the term varies under different jurisdictions. Republic of Ireland Town Councils in the Republic of Ireland were the second t ...

, which is divided into three Wards, each represented by three Town

Mayors of Blackrod

Each year the Town Council elects one of the Town Councillors to become the Town

Mayor In many countries, a mayor is the highest-ranking official in a municipal government such as that of a city or a town. Worldwide, there is a wide variance in local laws and customs regarding the powers and responsibilities of a mayor as well ...

who represents the town over the

municipal year The municipal year is a period used by local government in the United Kingdom. The municipal year usually begins in May, following any local elections. It is not a fixed date so the number of days in any municipal year varies. History The munici ...

. It is a ceremonial position, and some of the holders have held the position more than once. * 1974–1974: George Arthur Gardiner ( Lab) * 1974–1975: James Kenneth Vickers ( Lab) * 1975–1976: Graham Farrington (

Ind Ind or IND may refer to: General * Independent (politician), a politician not affiliated to any political party * Independent station, used within television program listings and the television industry for a station that is not affiliated with ...

) (1st term) * 1976–1977: Reginald Winstanley ( Con) * 1977–1978: Constance Mary Everin ( Con) (1st term) * 1978–1979: Robert Ratcliffe ( Lab) (1st term) * 1979–1980: Joseph Jolley ( Con) * 1980–1981: John Raymond Birchall Barrow ( Con) (1st term) * 1981–1982: Graham Farrington (

) (2nd term) * 1982–1983: Constance Mary Everin ( Con) (2nd term) * 1983–1984: Robert Ratcliffe ( Lab) (2nd term) * 1984–1985: Josephine Ida Johnson ( Lab) (1st term) * 1985–1986: Lancelot Watkinson ( Lab) * 1986–1987: John Raymond Birchall Barrow ( Con) (2nd term) * 1987–1988: Graham Farrington (

) (3rd term) * 1988–1989: Eric Johnson ( Lab) (1st term) * 1989–1990: Frank Woods ( Con) * 1990–1991: Robert Ratcliffe ( Lab) (3rd term) * 1991–1992: Lucy Patricia Barrow ( Con) (1st term) * 1992–1993: John Monaghan ( Lab) (1st term) * 1993–1994: Eric Johnson ( Lab) (2nd term) * 1994–1995: Josephine Ida Johnson ( Lab) (2nd term) * 1995–1996: Adrian Roy Mather (

) * 1996–1997: Lucy Patricia Barrow ( Con) (2nd term) * 1997–1998: John Monaghan ( Lab) (2nd term) * 1998–1999: Beryl Monaghan ( Lab) (1st term) * 1999–2000: Marlene Winward ( Con) (1st term) * 2000–2001: Beryl Monaghan ( Lab) (2nd term) * 2001–2002: Lucy Patricia Barrow ( Con) (3rd term) * 2002–2003: John William Seddon ( Lab) * 2003–2004: Michael Hollick ( Con) (1st term) * 2004–2005: Beryl Monaghan ( Lab) (3rd term) * 2005–2006: Keith John Edward Bowes ( Lab) * 2006–2007: Isabel Alice Seddon ( Lab) (1st term) * 2007–2008: Ian Badon Hamilton ( Lib Dem) * 2008–2009: Marlene Winward ( Con) (2nd term) * 2009–2010: Andrew Bower ( Con) * 2010–2011: Isabel Alice Seddon ( Lab) (2nd term) * 2011–2012: Pat Senior ( Con) * 2012–2013: Lucy Patricia Barrow ( Con) (4th term) * 2013–2014: Stephen Laycock (

) * 2014–2015: Beryl Monaghan ( Lab) (4th term) * 2015–2016: Michael Hollick ( Con) (2nd term) * 2016–2017: Ann Cunliffe ( Lab) * 2017–2018: Isabel Alice Seddon ( Lab) (3rd term) * 2018–2019: Scott Batchelor (

) * 2019–2020: John Price (

) (1st term) * 2020–2021: John Price (

) (2nd term because of the Covid 19 pandemic) * 2021–2022: Nick Bell (

) * 2022–2023: Susan Baines ( Con)

References

External links

* * {{twitter, id=blackrodtc, name=Blackrod Town Council Blackrod Local government in the Metropolitan Borough of Bolton Local precepting authorities in England Parish councils of England Local authorities in Greater Manchester