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

town A town is a type of a human settlement, generally larger than a village but smaller than a city. The criteria for distinguishing a town vary globally, often depending on factors such as population size, economic character, administrative stat ...

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. Civil parishes can trace their origin to the ancient system of parishes, w ...

Blackrod Blackrod is a town and civil parish situated within the Metropolitan Borough of Bolton in Greater Manchester, England. Nestled in the historic County of Lancashire, Blackrod is positioned 3.9 miles (6.3 km) northeast of Wigan and 6.6 mi ...

in the

Metropolitan Borough of Bolton The Metropolitan Borough of Bolton ( ) is a metropolitan borough in Greater Manchester, England, named after its largest town, Bolton, but covering a larger area which includes Blackrod, Farnworth, Horwich, Kearsley, Westhoughton, and part of ...

Greater Manchester Greater Manchester is a ceremonial county in North West England. It borders Lancashire to the north, Derbyshire and West Yorkshire to the east, Cheshire to the south, and Merseyside to the west. Its largest settlement is the city of Manchester. ...

, England. It is made up of nine town

Councillors A councillor, alternatively councilman, councilwoman, councilperson, or council member, is someone who sits on, votes in, or is a member of, a council. This is typically an elected representative of an electoral district in a municipal or regi ...

representing three

electoral Wards The wards and electoral divisions in the United Kingdom are electoral districts at sub-national level, represented by one or more councillors. The ''ward (subnational entity), ward'' is the primary unit of English electoral geography for civil pa ...

Precursor

Blackrod was once a

township A township is a form of human settlement or administrative subdivision. Its exact definition varies among countries. Although the term is occasionally associated with an urban area, this tends to be an exception to the rule. In Australia, Canad ...

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 townshi ...

in the historic county of

Lancashire Lancashire ( , ; abbreviated ''Lancs'') is a ceremonial county in North West England. It is bordered by Cumbria to the north, North Yorkshire and West Yorkshire to the east, Greater Manchester and Merseyside to the south, and the Irish Sea to ...

, England. Under provisions of the

Poor Relief Act 1662 The Poor Relief Act 1662 ( 14 Cha. 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 ...

, 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 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 hel ...

. 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 A local board of health (or simply a ''local board'') was a local authority 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, regulat ...

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

local board A local board of health (or simply a ''local board'') was a local authority 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, regulat ...

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

Public Health Act 1875 The Public Health Act 1875 ( 38 & 39 Vict. c. 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 me ...

was passed by

Parliament In modern politics and history, a parliament is a legislative body of government. Generally, a modern parliament has three functions: Representation (politics), representing the Election#Suffrage, electorate, making laws, and overseeing ...

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 leve ...

, Blackrod Local Board was transformed into an elected

urban district An urban district is a division generally managed by a local government. It may also refer to a city district, district, urban area or quarter Specific urban districts in some countries include: * Urban districts of Denmark * Districts of Germa ...

council of nine members.

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

Council had three

electoral wards The wards and electoral divisions in the United Kingdom are electoral districts at sub-national level, represented by one or more councillors. The ''ward (subnational entity), ward'' is the primary unit of English electoral geography for civil pa ...

: 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 in England, civil parishes with a parish councils in England, parish council, created in England in 1974. They replaced, with the same boundaries, a selected group of Urban district (England and Wales), urban d ...

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 In 2002, 49 urban district councils and 26 town commissi ...

, 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 corporation, 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 responsibilitie ...

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) * 2023–2024: John Price (

) (3rd term) * 2024–2025: Derek Snowden ( Horwich & Blackrod First Independents)

References

External links

blackrodtowncouncil.org.uk
{{Local authorities in Greater Manchester

Local government in the Metropolitan Borough of Bolton Local precepting authorities in England Parish councils of England Local authorities in Greater Manchester