'')'' , image_skyline =Bolton Town Hall.jpg , imagesize = 250px , image_caption =

Bolton Town Hall Bolton Town Hall in Victoria Square, Bolton, Greater Manchester, England, was built between 1866 and 1873 for the County Borough of Bolton to designs by William Hill of Leeds and George Woodhouse of Bolton. The town hall was extended in the 19 ...

, the seat of

Bolton Council Bolton Council, also called Bolton Metropolitan Borough Council is the local authority of the Metropolitan Borough of Bolton in Greater Manchester, England. It is a Metropolitan Borough Council, one of ten in Greater Manchester and one of 36 in ...

, image_blank_emblem = Coat of arms of Bolton Metropolitan Borough Council.png , blank_emblem_type = Coat of Arms of the Metropolitan Borough Council , blank_emblem_size = 150px , blank_emblem_link = , image_map = Bolton UK locator map.svg , map_caption = Bolton shown within

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 ...

, subdivision_type =

Sovereign state A sovereign state or sovereign country, is a political entity represented by one central government that has supreme legitimate authority over territory. International law defines sovereign states as having a permanent population, defined te ...

, subdivision_name = United Kingdom , subdivision_type1 = Constituent country , subdivision_name1 = England , subdivision_type2 =

Region In geography, regions, otherwise referred to as zones, lands or territories, are areas that are broadly divided by physical characteristics ( physical geography), human impact characteristics ( human geography), and the interaction of humanity an ...

, subdivision_name2 = North West England , subdivision_type3 = Ceremonial county , subdivision_name3 =

, subdivision_type5 = Historic county , subdivision_name5 = Salford Hundred,

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 Lancash ...

, subdivision_type4 = Admin HQ , subdivision_name4 =

, government_footnotes = , government_type = Metropolitan borough , leader_title = Governing body , leader_name =

Bolton Metropolitan Borough Council Bolton Council, also called Bolton Metropolitan Borough Council is the local authority of the Metropolitan Borough of Bolton in Greater Manchester, England. It is a Metropolitan Borough Council, one of ten in Greater Manchester and one of 36 in t ...

, leader_title1 = Mayor: , leader_name1 = Cllr. Akhtar Zaman (L) , leader_title2 =

Leadership Leadership, both as a research area and as a practical skill, encompasses the ability of an individual, group or organization to "lead", influence or guide other individuals, teams, or entire organizations. The word "leadership" often gets vi ...

: , leader_name2 = Leader & Cabinet , leader_title3 = Leader: , leader_name3 = Martyn Cox (C) , leader_title4 = MPs: , leader_name4 = Mark Logan (C)
Yasmin Qureshi (L)
Chris Green (C) , established_title = Founded , established_date = 1 April 1974 , established_title2 = Borough status , established_date2 = , area_magnitude = , unit_pref = , area_footnotes = , area_total_km2 = 139.80 , area_land_km2 = , area_water_km2 = , area_total_sq_mi = , area_land_sq_mi = , area_water_sq_mi = , area_water_percent = , area_urban_km2 = , area_urban_sq_mi = , area_metro_km2 = , area_metro_sq_mi = , area_blank1_title = , area_blank1_km2 = , area_blank1_sq_mi = , population_as_of = , population_footnotes = , population_note = , population_total = ( Ranked ) , population_density_km2 = 1877 , population_density_sq_mi = , population_metro = , population_density_metro_km2 = , population_density_metro_sq_mi = , population_urban = , population_density_urban_km2 = , population_density_urban_sq_mi = , population_blank1_title = , population_blank1 = , population_demonym = , timezone =

Greenwich Mean Time Greenwich Mean Time (GMT) is the mean solar time at the Royal Observatory in Greenwich, London, counted from midnight. At different times in the past, it has been calculated in different ways, including being calculated from noon; as a con ...

, utc_offset = +0 , timezone_DST = , utc_offset_DST = , coordinates = , elevation_footnotes = , elevation_m = , elevation_ft = , postal_code_type = Postcode areas , postal_code = BL1-BL7, M26 , area_codes = 01204, 01942, 0161 , blank_name =

ISO 3166-2 ISO 3166-2 is part of the ISO 3166 standard published by the International Organization for Standardization (ISO), and defines codes for identifying the principal subdivisions (e.g., provinces or states) of all countries coded in ISO 3166-1. The ...

, blank_info = GB-BOL , blank1_name = ONS code , blank1_info = 00BL (ONS)
E08000001 (GSS) , blank2_name = OS grid reference , blank2_info = , blank3_name = NUTS 3 , blank3_info = UKD32 , footnotes = , website = http://www.bolton.gov.uk The Metropolitan Borough of Bolton is a metropolitan borough in

, England, named after its largest town,

Bolton Bolton (, locally ) is a large town in Greater Manchester in North West England, formerly a part of Lancashire. A former mill town, Bolton has been a production centre for textiles since Flemish weavers settled in the area in the 14th ...

, but covering a larger area which includes Blackrod,

Farnworth Farnworth is a town in the Metropolitan Borough of Bolton, Greater Manchester, England, southeast of Bolton, 4.3 miles south-west of Bury (7 km), and northwest of Manchester. Historically in Lancashire, Farnworth lies on the River Ir ...

Horwich Horwich ( ) is a town and civil parish in the Metropolitan Borough of Bolton, Greater Manchester, England. Prior to 1974 in the historic county of Lancashire. It is southeast of Chorley, northwest of Bolton and northwest of Manchester. It l ...

Kearsley Kearsley ( ) is a town in the Metropolitan Borough of Bolton, Greater Manchester, England. The population at the 2011 census was 14,212. Historically part of Lancashire, it lies northwest of Manchester, southwest of Bury and south of ...

Westhoughton Westhoughton ( ) is a town and civil parish in the Metropolitan Borough of Bolton, Greater Manchester, England, southwest of Bolton, east of Wigan and northwest of Manchester.West Pennine Moors. It had a population of 276,800 at the 2011 census, making it the fourth-most populous district in Greater Manchester. The borough was created in 1974 under the Local Government Act 1972, covering the area of seven former local government districts and part of an eighth; being seven urban districts from the

administrative county An administrative county was a first-level administrative division in England and Wales from 1888 to 1974, and in Ireland from 1899 until either 1973 (in Northern Ireland) or 2002 (in the Republic of Ireland). They are now abolished, although mos ...

, and the

County Borough of Bolton Bolton was, from 1838 to 1974, a local government district in the northwest of England conterminate with the town of Bolton. History Bolton was created a free Borough in 1253 when William de Ferrers, 5th Earl of Derby, granted a charter. However, ...

. The metropolitan districts of Bury,

Salford Salford () is a city and the largest settlement in the City of Salford metropolitan borough in Greater Manchester, England. In 2011, Salford had a population of 103,886. It is also the second and only other city in the metropolitan county afte ...

and

Wigan Wigan ( ) is a large town in Greater Manchester, England, on the River Douglas. The town is midway between the two cities of Manchester, to the south-east, and Liverpool, to the south-west. Bolton lies to the north-east and Warrington t ...

lie to the east, south and west respectively; and the

unitary authority A unitary authority is a local authority responsible for all local government functions within its area or performing additional functions that elsewhere are usually performed by a higher level of sub-national government or the national governmen ...

of Blackburn with Darwen and the non-metropolitan district of Chorley in Lancashire to the north and north-west.

History

Bolton Metropolitan Borough was formed on 1 April 1974 under the Local Government Act 1972, covering the combined areas of seven former local government districts and part of an eighth, which were all abolished at the same time: * Blackrod Urban District * Bolton County Borough * Farnworth Municipal Borough *

Horwich Urban District Horwich was, from 1872 to 1974, a local government district centred on the town of Horwich in the administrative county of Lancashire, England. History Horwich was a township and chapelry in the civil and ecclesiastical parish of Deane in the Sa ...

* Kearsley Urban District *

Little Lever Urban District Little Lever was, from 1872 to 1974, a local government district centred on the large village of Little Lever in the administrative county of Lancashire, England. History Little Lever was a township and chapelry in the civil and ecclesiastical p ...

* Turton Urban District ( southern part; remainder became parish of North Turton in Blackburn district.) *

Westhoughton Urban District Westhoughton was, from 1872 to 1974, a local government district centred on the town of Westhoughton in the administrative county of Lancashire, England. History Westhoughton was a township and chapelry in the civil and ecclesiastical parish of ...

As a

county borough County borough is a term introduced in 1889 in the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, to refer to a borough or a city independent of county council control, similar to the unitary authorities created since the 1990s. An equivalent te ...

, the old borough of Bolton had been administratively independent from any county council, but was deemed part of

for ceremonial purposes. The other seven districts had all been part of the administrative county of Lancashire prior to 1974, with Lancashire County Council serving as their upper tier authority. When the metropolitan borough of Bolton was created in 1974 it was transferred to the new metropolitan county of Greater Manchester, with

Greater Manchester Council The Greater Manchester County Council (GMCC) was the top-tier local government administrative body for Greater Manchester from 1974 to 1986. A strategic authority, with responsibilities for roads, public transport, planning, emergency services ...

providing county-level services. The Greater Manchester Council was abolished in 1986, after which Bolton became a

, providing all local government services. Bolton Council unsuccessfully petitioned

Elizabeth II Elizabeth II (Elizabeth Alexandra Mary; 21 April 1926 – 8 September 2022) was Queen of the United Kingdom and other Commonwealth realms from 6 February 1952 until her death in 2022. She was queen regnant of 32 sovereign states during ...

for the Metropolitan Borough of Bolton to be granted

city status City status is a symbolic and legal designation given by a national or subnational government. A municipality may receive city status because it already has the qualities of a city, or because it has some special purpose. Historically, 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).

Parishes

Horwich, Westhoughton and Blackrod are now constituted as

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 ...

es, each having 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 ...

: Westhoughton Town Council, Horwich Town Council and

Blackrod Town Council Blackrod Town Council is a local authority with limited powers and covers the town and civil parish of Blackrod in the Metropolitan Borough of Bolton, Greater Manchester, England. It is made up of nine town Councillors representing three electora ...

. The rest of the metropolitan borough, covering the town of Bolton itself, Farnworth, Kearsley, Little Lever, and South Turton, have remained

unparished area In England, an unparished area is an area that is not covered by a civil parish (the lowest level of local government, not to be confused with an ecclesiastical parish). Most urbanised districts of England are either entirely or partly unpa ...

s since 1974.

Demographics

According to the 2021 census, of the 295,963 people living in Bolton Metropolitan Borough, the following table below show the population of ethnicities in Bolton:

Ethnicity

Population change

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

es that would later be constituent parts of the borough.

Religion

The following table shows the religious identity of residents residing in Bolton.

Transport

The Bolton metropolitan area is served by the following railway stations: * Bolton Trinity Street * Bromley Cross *

Hall i' th' Wood Hall i' th' Wood is an early 16th-century manor house in Bolton in the historic county of Lancashire and the ceremonial county of Greater Manchester, England. It is a Grade I listed building and is currently used as a museum by Bolton Metropo ...

* Blackrod * Horwich Parkway (for the

University of Bolton Stadium The University of Bolton Stadium is the home ground of Bolton Wanderers F.C. in Horwich, Greater Manchester, England. Opening in 1997, it was named the Reebok Stadium, after club sponsors Reebok. In 2014, Bolton Wanderers signed a naming rig ...

– Bolton Wanderers) * Lostock *

* Daisy Hill

Education

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 The National Curriculum assessment usually refers to the statutory assessments carried out in primary schools in England, colloquially known as standard attainment tests (SATs). The assessments are made up of a combination of testing and teacher ...

performance. 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%. 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%. 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. The

University of Bolton , established = 2004 – gained University Status 1982 – Bolton Institute of Higher Education , type = Public , endowment = £160,000 (2009) , administrative_staff = 700+ , chancellor ...

is one of Greater Manchester's four universities. In 2008,

The Times ''The Times'' is a British daily national newspaper based in London. It began in 1785 under the title ''The Daily Universal Register'', adopting its current name on 1 January 1788. ''The Times'' and its sister paper '' The Sunday Times'' (f ...

Good University Guide ranked it 111th of 113 institutions in Britain. 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.

GCSE Examination Performance 2009

* ''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

Governance

The local authority is Bolton Metropolitan Borough Council, which styles itself "

". Since 2011 it has been a constituent member of the

Greater Manchester Combined Authority The Greater Manchester Combined Authority (GMCA) is a combined authority for Greater Manchester, England. It was established on 1 April 2011 and consists of 11 members; 10 indirectly elected members, each a directly elected councillor from one ...

, providing strategic co-ordination of local government across the ten metropolitan boroughs of Greater Manchester. Since 2017 the combined authority has been led by the directly-elected

Mayor of Greater Manchester The Mayor of Greater Manchester is the directly elected metro mayor of Greater Manchester, responsible for strategic governance in the region that includes health, transport, housing, strategic planning, waste management, policing, the Greate ...

Twin towns

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

Neighbouring districts

Freedom of the Borough

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

Individuals

William Lever, 1st Viscount Leverhulme William Hesketh Lever, 1st Viscount Leverhulme , (, ; 19 September 1851 – 7 May 1925) was an English industrialist, philanthropist, and politician. Having been educated at a small private school until the age of nine, then at church schools ...

: 10 November 1902. * John Pennington Thomasson: 10 November 1902. *

Andrew Carnegie Andrew Carnegie (, ; November 25, 1835August 11, 1919) was a Scottish-American industrialist and philanthropist. Carnegie led the expansion of the American steel industry in the late 19th century and became one of the richest Americans i ...

: 29 September 1910. * FM Rt Hon Lord Montgomery : 5 November 1949. *

Nat Lofthouse Nathaniel Lofthouse (27 August 1925 – 15 January 2011) was an English professional footballer who played as a forward for Bolton Wanderers for his entire career. He won 33 caps for England between 1950 and 1958, scoring 30 goals, with o ...

: 2 December 1989. *

Robert Howarth Robert Lever Howarth (31 July 1927 – 2 April 2021) was a British politician from Bolton who was a Member of Parliament (MP) for Bolton East from 1964 to 1970. Early life and career Howarth was born in July 1927, the son of James Howarth an ...

: 16 June 2001. * Sir Jason Kenny: 16 March 2022.

Military units

* 253rd Regiment

Royal Artillery The Royal Regiment of Artillery, commonly referred to as the Royal Artillery (RA) and colloquially known as "The Gunners", is one of two regiments that make up the artillery arm of the British Army. The Royal Regiment of Artillery comprises t ...

( TA): 18 April 1964. * 5th Battalion Loyal Regiment (North Lancashire) ( TA): 18 April 1964. * HMS Dido, RN: 14 April 1973. * 216 (The Bolton Artillery) Battery

103rd (Lancashire Artillery Volunteers) Regiment Royal Artillery 103rd (Lancashire Artillery Volunteers) Regiment Royal Artillery is part of the Army Reserve and primarily has sub-units throughout the Greater Manchester and Merseyside area of the North-West of England, in recent years it has extended its foot ...

: 18 May 1994. * 1st Battalion The

Duke of Lancaster's Regiment The Duke of Lancaster's Regiment (King's, Lancashire and Border) (LANCS) is an infantry regiment of the line within the British Army, part of the King's Division. Headquartered in Preston, it recruits throughout the North West of England. The Du ...

: 14 March 2009.

References

External links

{{DEFAULTSORT:Bolton, Metropolitan Borough of Bolton Metropolitan Borough Metropolitan boroughs of Greater Manchester 1974 establishments in England