Greater Manchester
Geography
Status:	Ceremonial and Administrative County (no county council)
Region:	North West England
Area: - Total	Ranked 39th 1,276 km²
ONS code:	2A
NUTS 2:	UKD3
Demographics
Population: - Total (2002 est.) - Density	Ranked 3rd 2,513,468 1,970 / km²
Ethnicity:	91.1% White 5.6% S.Asian 1.2% Afro-Carib.
Politics
Members of Parliament
Andrew Bennett, Hazel Blears, Keith Bradley, Graham Brady, Andrew Burnham, Patsy Calton, David Chaytor, Ann Coffey, David Crausby, Jim Dobbin, Lorna Fitzsimons, Paul Goggins, David Heyes, Beverley Hughes, Brian Iddon, Gerald Kaufman, Ruth Kelly, Ivan Lewis, Terry Lewis, Tony Lloyd, Ian McCartney, Michael Meacher, James Purnell, Ian Stewart, Graham Stringer, Andrew Stunell, Neil Turner, Phil Woolas
Districts
Manchester Stockport Tameside Oldham Rochdale Bury Bolton Wigan Salford Trafford

Greater Manchester is a metropolitan county in England established in 1974 which covers an area roughly encompassing the conurbation of Manchester. It is situated in North West England.

It has borders with the ceremonial counties of Cheshire (inc. Warrington), Derbyshire, West Yorkshire, Lancashire (inc. Blackburn with Darwen) and Merseyside.

As well as Manchester, the county includes major centres such as Salford, Bury, Bolton, Stockport and Wigan.

Greater Manchester is not entirely built-up. Although Manchester forms a conurbation along with Salford, Trafford and Stockport, other boroughs, such as Wigan and Bury are clearly separate.

Local government

Greater Manchester is divided into ten metropolitan boroughs, these are, Bolton, Bury, Manchester proper, Oldham, Rochdale, Salford, Stockport, Tameside, Trafford and Wigan.

For the first twelve years after the county was created in 1974, the county had a two-tier system of local government, and the boroughs shared power with the Greater Manchester County Council.

However in 1986, along with five other metropolitan county councils and the Greater London Council, the Greater Manchester County Council was abolished, and most of its powers were devolved to the boroughs, which became effective unitary authorities.

Despite the abolition of the county council, the boroughs jointly administer some services on a county-wide basis. Including:

• The Greater Manchester Passenger Transport Executive, (GMPTE) which is resposible for planning and co-ordinating public transport across the county.

• The Greater Manchester Police , who are overseen by a joint Police authority.

• The Greater Manchester County Fire Service , who are administered by a joint "Fire and Civil Defence Authority".

These are administered by joint-boards which are made up of councillors appointed from each of the ten boroughs.

The boroughs jointly own the Manchester Airport Group which controls Manchester Airport and several other UK airports. Other services are directly funded and managed by the local councils.

Greater Manchester is still a Ceremonial County with a Lord-Lieutenant. And is still recognised for statistical purposes.

History

Main article: History of Manchester.

Before 1974 the area of Greater Manchester was split between Cheshire and Lancashire with numerous parts being independent county boroughs. The area was informally known as 'SELNEC', for 'South East Lancashire North East Cheshire'. Also small parts of the West Riding of Yorkshire (around Saddleworth) and Derbyshire were covered.

SELNEC had been proposed by the Redcliffe-Maud Report of 1969 as a 'metropolitan area'. This had roughly the same northern boundary as today's Greater Manchester, but covered much more territory in north-east Cheshire - including Macclesfield and Warrington. It also covered Glossop in Derbyshire.

In 1969 a SELNEC Passenger Transport Authority was set up, which covered an area smaller than the proposed SELNEC, but different to the eventual Greater Manchester.

Although the Redcliffe-Maud report was rejected by the Conservative Party government after it won the 1970 general election, it was committed to local government reform, and accepted the need for a county based on Manchester. Its original proposal was much smaller than the Redcliffe-Maud Report's SELNEC, but further fringe areas such as Wilmslow, Warrington and Glossop were trimmed from the edges and included instead in the shire counties. Greater Manchester was eventually established in 1974.

It is possible that Greater Manchester will have a small expansion in coming years. If the 2004 referendum on devolution produces a "yes" vote for the North-West, and a vote for option 2 in Cumbria and Lancashire, then part of the West Lancashire district will be annexed to the metropolitan borough of Wigan.

Towns and villages

• Ainsworth, Altrincham, Ashton-in-Makerfield, Ashton-under-Lyne, Ashton upon Mersey , Astley Green , Atherton
• Blackrod , Bolton, Boothstown, Bowdon, Bramhall, Broadbottom, Bury
• Carrington , Chadderton, Cheadle , Cheadle Heath , Cheadle Hulme, Chorlton-cum-Hardy, Crumpsall
• Davyhulme , Denton, Droylsden, Dukinfield
• Failsworth, Fallowfield, Flixton
• Gatley ,Gorton
• Hazel Grove, Heald Green , Heywood, Horwich, Hyde
• Irlam
• Kearsley
• Leigh, Levenshulme, Littleborough, Little Lever , Lowton, Lowton Common
• Manchester, Marple, Marple Bridge , Milnrow, Mossley, Mottram-in-Longdendale
• Northenden
• Oldham, Orrell
• Partington , Pendlebury, Pennington, Prestwich
• Radcliffe, Ramsbottom, Rochdale, Royton
• Sale, Salford, Standish, Stretford, Swinton
• Timperley, Trafford Park
• Uppermill , Urmston
• West Didsbury , Whitefield, Wigan Withington, Woodley, Worsley

Places of interest

• Buckton Castle
• Bramall Hall , Bramhall
• Salford Quays, Salford
• Smithills Hall
• Wythenshawe Hall
• Astley Cheetham Art Gallery , Ashton-under-Lyne
• Museum of the Manchester Regiment , Ashton-under-Lyne
• Park Bridge Heritage Centre

External Links

• Manchester @ eb.cx A web site dedicated to the city of Manchester (under construction)