Metropolitan Borough of Trafford | |||
![]() |
|||
|
|||
Motto: "Hold Fast That Which Is Good" | |||
![]() |
|||
Coordinates: | |||
Sovereign state | United Kingdom | ||
---|---|---|---|
Constituent country | England | ||
Region | North West England | ||
Ceremonial county | Greater Manchester | ||
Admin HQ | Stretford | ||
Founded | 1 April 1974 | ||
Government | |||
- Type | Metropolitan borough | ||
- Governing body | Trafford Metropolitan Borough Council | ||
- Mayor | Cllr. Stephen Adshead | ||
- MPs: | Graham Brady (C) Paul Goggins (L) Beverley Hughes (L) |
||
Area | |||
- Total | 40.9 sq mi (106.04 km²) | ||
Elevation | 98 ft (30 m) | ||
Population (2007 est.) | |||
- Total | 212,800 (Ranked 63rd) | ||
- Density | 5,172.2/sq mi (1,997/km²) | ||
- Ethnicity (2005 Estimate)[1] |
89.7% White 5.1% S. Asian 2.3% Black 1.8% Mixed 1.1% Chinese and other |
||
Time zone | Greenwich Mean Time (UTC+0) | ||
Postcode | M | ||
Area code(s) | 0161 | ||
ISO 3166-2 | GB-TRF | ||
ONS code | 00BU | ||
OS grid reference | SJ795945 | ||
NUTS 3 | UKD31 | ||
Website: www.trafford.gov.uk |
The Metropolitan Borough of Trafford is a metropolitan borough of Greater Manchester, England. It has a population of 211,800,[2] covers 41 square miles (106 km2),[3] and includes the towns of Altrincham, Partington, Sale, Stretford, and Urmston.
The borough was formed on 1 April 1974 by the Local Government Act 1972 as a merger of the municipal boroughs of Altrincham, Sale, and Stretford, the urban districts of Bowdon, Hale, and Urmston and part of Bucklow Rural District. All were previously in Cheshire, apart from Stretford and Urmston which were in Lancashire. The River Mersey flows through the borough, separating North Trafford from South Trafford. Historically the Mersey also acted as the boundary between the historic counties of Lancashire and Cheshire.
The Trafford area has a long heritage, with evidence of Neolithic, Bronze Age, and Roman activity. Amongst the relics of the past are two castles – one of them a Scheduled Ancient Monument – and over 200 listed buildings. The area underwent change in the late 19th century and the population rapidly expanded with the arrival of the railway. Trafford is the home of Manchester United F.C., Lancashire County Cricket Club, Manchester Phoenix, and formerly Sale Sharks. Also in Trafford is the Imperial War Museum North.
Trafford has a strong economy with low levels of unemployment and the Trafford Park industrial estate and Trafford Centre – a large out-of-town shopping centre; apart from the City of Manchester, Trafford is the only borough in Greater Manchester to be above the national average for weekly income. Socially, the area is middle class and contains commuter towns. Altrincham and Sale West is the only parliamentary constituency in Greater Manchester to be held by the Conservative Party. Trafford has the best record for education in Greater Manchester.
Contents |
The choice of the name Trafford for the borough was a "compromise between Altrincham, Stretford and Sale", and "seemed to have wide support".[4] A Liberal councillor for the Municipal Borough of Sale suggested "Crossford ... as Trafford meant slums and factories", whilst "Watlingford" was suggested by councillors in Hale, after the supposed name of an ancient Roman road in the district.[4] Those names were rejected in favour of Trafford, because of the district's "famous sports venue, a major employer as well as historic associations", referring to Old Trafford, Trafford Park and the de Trafford Baronets respectively.[4]
As a place name, Trafford is an Anglo-French version of Stratford, deriving from the Old English words stræt (a street, more specifically a Roman road) and ford (a river crossing). The Metropolitan Borough of Trafford has existed since 1974, but the area it covers has a long history. Neolithic arrowheads have been discovered in Altrincham and Sale,[5] and there is evidence of Bronze Age habitation in Timperley.[6] Fragments of Roman pottery have been found in Urmston, and Roman coins have been found in Sale. The Roman road between the legionary fortresses at Chester (Deva Victrix) and York (Eboracum) crosses Trafford, passing through Stretford, Sale, and Altrincham.[7] The settlements in Trafford have been based largely around agriculture, although Altrincham was probably founded as a market town.[8] Although the Industrial Revolution affected Trafford, the area did not experience the same rate of growth as the rest of Greater Manchester.[9] A 100% increase in population in the Trafford area between 1841 and 1861 was a direct result of an influx due to the construction of the Manchester, South Junction and Altrincham Railway, which allowed residents to more easily commute from Trafford into Manchester.[9] The area developed its own centres of industry in Broadheath (founded in 1885) and Trafford Park (founded in 1897).[10] They have since declined, although Trafford Park still employs 40–50,000 people.[11][12] Today, Trafford is mostly a commuter area. The borough was formed on April 1, 1974 by the Local Government Act 1972 as one of the ten metropolitan districts of Greater Manchester.[13]
The metropolitan boroughs of the City of Salford and the City of Manchester border Trafford to the north and east respectively; the borough of Macclesfield in Cheshire lies to the south. The geology of South Trafford is Keuper marl with some Keuper waterstone and sandstone, whilst the geology of North Trafford is Bunter sandstone.[14] The River Mersey runs east to west through the area, separating North Trafford from South Trafford; other rivers in Trafford include the Bollin, the River Irwell, Sinderland Brook, and Crofts Bank Brook. The Bridgewater Canal, opened in 1761 and completed in 1776, follows a course through Trafford roughly north to south and passes through Stretford, Sale, and Altrincham.[14] The Manchester Ship Canal, opened in 1894, forms part of Trafford's northern and western boundaries with Salford.[15]
Trafford is generally flat, with most of the land lying between 66 feet (20 m) and 98 feet (30 m) above sea level, apart from Bowdon Hill in South Trafford which rises 200 feet (60 m) above sea level.[14] The lowest point in Trafford, near Warburton, is 36 feet (11 m) above sea level.[16] There are areas of mossland in low lying areas: Warburton Moss, Dunham Moss, and Hale Moss.[14] Greenspace accounts for 51.8% of Trafford’s total area, domestic buildings and gardens comprise 25.6%, the rest is made up of roads and non-domestic buildings.[17]
Localities within the boundaries of Trafford include:
North Trafford: Cornbrook, Davyhulme, Firswood, Flixton, Gorse Hill, Lostock, Old Trafford, Stretford, Trafford Park and Urmston.
South Trafford: Altrincham, Ashton-Upon-Mersey, Bowdon, Broadheath, Brooklands, Carrington, Dunham Massey, Hale, Hale Barns, Oldfield Brow, Partington, Sale, Sale Moor, Timperley, Warburton and West Timperley.
The residents of Trafford Metropolitan Borough are represented in the British Parliament by Members of Parliament (MPs) for three separate parliamentary constituencies. Altrincham and Sale West is represented by Graham Brady MP (Conservative).[18] This is one of only a small number of seats in the North West held by the Conservative Party, and the only one in Greater Manchester. Stretford and Urmston is represented by Beverley Hughes MP (Labour).[19] Wythenshawe and Sale East, which also covers parts of the City of Manchester, is represented by Paul Goggins MP (Labour).[20] Trafford is part of the North West England constituency in the European Parliament. North West England elects nine MEPs, as at 2008 made up of four Conservatives, three from the Labour Party, one Liberal Democrat, and one member of the United Kingdom Independence Party.[21]
In 1974, Trafford Council was created to administer the newly formed Trafford Metropolitan Borough. Trafford's centre of administration is Trafford Town Hall – named Stretford Town Hall before 1974 – designated a Grade II listed building in 2007.[22] On its formation in 1974, the council was controlled by the Conservative Party; the Conservatives have been in control 1973–85, 1988–94, and 2004 to the present. The only time the Labour Party was in control was 1996–2002. The rest of the time were periods of no overall control.[23] The council meets to decide policy and allocate budget. Its duties include setting levels of council tax, monitoring the health service in Trafford, providing social care, and providing funding for schools.[24][25] Stephen Adshead is Mayor of Trafford for 2008–09.[26]
Trafford Council was assessed by the Audit Commission and judged to be "improving strongly" in providing services for local people. Overall the council was awarded "three star" status meaning it was "performing well" and "consistently above minimum requirements", similar to 46% of all local authorities.[27]
Civil parishes form the bottom tier of local government; the parish councils are involved in planning, management of town and parish centres, and promoting tourism.[28] In 2001, 8,484 people lived in Trafford's four civil parishes, 4.0% of the borough's population.[29] The civil parishes are: Carrington, Dunham Massey, Partington (Town), and Warburton; they were all previously part of Bucklow Rural District. A rural district was a type of local government district for the administration of predominantly rural areas. The rest of Trafford is unparished. The unparished areas are: Altrincham (Municipal Borough), Bowdon (Urban District), Hale (Urban District), Sale (Municipal Borough), Stretford (Municipal Borough), and Urmston (Urban District). The status of each area prior to 1974 is shown in brackets. An urban district was a type of local government district which covered an urbanised area.
Party | Seats | Current Council (2008–09) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
2007[30] | 2008[31] | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Conservative | 39 | 39 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Labour | 20 | 19 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Lib Dems | 4 | 5 |
There are 21 electoral wards in Trafford, each with 3 councillors, giving a total of 63 councillors with one-third elected three years out of four.[24] In the following table, the populations for each ward are based on 2006 population estimates.
Ward name | Localities covered (approximate) | Population | Ref. |
---|---|---|---|
Altrincham | Altrincham, Broadheath, and Oldfield Brow | 9,570 | [32] |
Ashton upon Mersey | Ashton upon Mersey and Sale | 9,519 | [33] |
Bowdon | Altrincham, Bowdon, Dunham Massey, and Warburton | 8,806 | [34] |
Broadheath | Altrincham, Broadheath, Sale, Timperley, and West Timperley | 10,601 | [35] |
Brooklands | Brooklands and Sale | 9,773 | [36] |
Bucklow-St. Martins | Ashton upon Mersey, Carrington, and Partington | 9,655 | [37] |
Clifford | Old Trafford | 10,106 | [38] |
Davyhulme East | Davyhulme and Urmston | 10,414 | [39] |
Davyhulme West | Davyhulme and Flixton | 9,595 | [40] |
Flixton | Flixton | 10,796 | [41] |
Gorse Hill | Gorse Hill and Stretford | 10,306 | [42] |
Hale Barns | Hale, Hale Barns and Timperley | 9,143 | [43] |
Hale Central | Altrincham and Hale | 9,100 | [44] |
Longford | Firswood, Old Trafford, and Stretford | 11,357 | [45] |
Priory | Sale | 9,439 | [46] |
St. Mary's | Ashton upon Mersey and Sale | 11,160 | [47] |
Sale Moor | Sale and Sale Moor | 9,899 | [48] |
Stretford | Stretford | 10,334 | [49] |
Timperley | Brooklands and Timperley | 10,666 | [50] |
Urmston | Flixton and Urmston | 10,159 | [51] |
Village | Brooklands and Timperley | 9,747 | [52] |
Trafford | All | 211,800 |
The coat of arms of Trafford depicts a griffin on a shield flanked by two unicorns. The line bisecting the shield horizontally symbolises the River Mersey running through Trafford from east to west and the canals in the borough.[53] The griffin is split into two parts; the lower part – the white legs of a lion on a red background – represent the parts of Trafford previously controlled by the De Massey family, and the upper part – the red body and head of an eagle on a white background – represents the parts of Trafford previously controlled by the De Traffords. Both elements were taken from the coats of arms of the respective families.[53] The fist holding bolts of lightning represents Stretford and the electrical industry; the cog on the arm represents Altrincham's engineering industry.[53] The unicorns stand for Sale and Altrincham.[53] The oak branches represent Urmston and symbolise the rural areas of Trafford.[53]
In 2006–7, Trafford council had a budget of £385 million. This was collected from government grants (60%); council tax (19%); business rates (13%); and fees, charges, rents, and investment interest (8%). The council spent £188 million on children and young people's services (49%); £79 million on community services and social care (21%); £54 million on the environment (14%); £51 million on corporate service (13%); and £13 million on central services (3%). This included £115 million allocated to schools and £52 million for rent allowances and council tax benefits.[25]
2001 UK Census[54] | Trafford | Greater Manchester | England |
---|---|---|---|
Population | 210,145 | 2,514,757 | 49,138,831 |
White | 91.6% | 91.2% | 90.9% |
Asian | 4.0% | 5.6% | 4.6% |
Black | 2.0% | 1.2% | 2.3% |
As of the 2001 UK census, the Metropolitan Borough of Trafford had a total population of 210,145.[54] Of the 89,313 households in Trafford, 36.5% were married couples living together, 31.6% were one-person households, 7.8% were co-habiting couples and 9.7% were lone parents, following a similar trend to the rest of England.[55]
The population density was 1,982 inhabitants per square kilometre (5,133.4/sq mi)[3] and for every 100 females, there were 94.6 males. Of those aged 16–74 in Trafford, 24.7% had no academic qualifications, significantly lower than the 28.9% in all of England.[54] 8.2% of Trafford’s residents were born outside the United Kingdom, lower than the English average of 9.2%.[56] The largest minority group was Asian, at 4.0% of the population.[57]
In 1841, 11.6% of Trafford’s population was middle class compared to 14% in England and Wales; this increased to 21.2% in 1931 (15% nationally) and 54.8% in 2001 (48% nationally). From 1841 to 1951, the working class population of Trafford and across the country was in decline, falling steadily from 42.7% to 18% (36% to 29% nationally). It has since increased slightly, up to 27.2% (26% nation-wide). The rest of the population was made up of clerical workers and skilled manual workers.[58]
The table below details the population change since 1801, including the percentage change since the last census 10 years earlier. Although Trafford has only existed as a Metropolitan Borough since 1974, figures have been generated by combining data from the towns, villages, and civil parishes that would later be constituent parts of Trafford. The greatest percentage change in the population occurred between 1851 and 1871, and was a result of the construction of the Manchester, South Junction and Altrincham Railway in 1849.[9] The decrease by 7.7% in Trafford's population since the 1971 census mirrors the trend for Greater Manchester, although on a smaller scale; this has been accounted for by the decline of Greater Manchester's industries, particularly those in Manchester and Salford but including those in Trafford, and residents leaving, seeking new jobs.[59]
Year | 1801 | 1811 | 1821 | 1831 | 1841 | 1851 | 1861 | 1871 | 1881 | 1891 | 1901 | 1911 | 1921 | 1931 | 1941 | 1951 | 1961 | 1971 | 1981 | 1991 | 2001 |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Population | 9,760 | 11,197 | 12,697 | 13,725 | 17,474 | 21,896 | 35,588 | 49,280 | 62,971 | 76,672 | 94,830 | 117,289 | 135,163 | 155,760 | 178,385 | 204,302 | 215,714 | 227,792 | 221,000 | 215,785 | 210,145 |
% change | – | +14.7 | +13.4 | +8.1 | +27.3 | +25.3 | +62.5 | +38.5 | +27.8 | +21.8 | +23.7 | +23.7 | +15.2 | +15.2 | +14.5 | +14.5 | +5.6 | +5.6 | −3.0 | −2.4 | −2.6 |
Source: A Vision of Britain through Time |
Historically, the economy of the Trafford area has been dominated by agriculture. This continued to some extent even during the Industrial Revolution, when textile industry in the Trafford area did not develop as quickly or to the same extent as it did in the rest of Greater Manchester.[60] Only two known 18th-century mill sites are in Trafford, compared with 69 known in Tameside and 51 in Manchester.[60] Despite reaching a high of 43% in 1812, employment in the textile industry in Trafford declined to 12% according to the 1851 census.[60] The textile industry in Trafford could not compete with that in places such as Manchester, Oldham, and Ashton-under-Lyne, partly because of a reluctance to invest in industry on the part of the two main land owners in the area: the Stamfords and the de Traffords.[60]
Trafford Park was founded in 1897, and at its peak in 1945 employed 75,000 people.[61] As well as being the world's first planned industrial estate,[62] it is Europe's largest business park. More than 1,400 companies are within the park, employing between 40,000 and 50,000 people.[11][12][62]
The Trafford Centre, which opened on 10 September 1998,[63] is North West England's largest indoor shopping complex. The centre has over 30 million visitors annually,[64] and contains 235 stores, 55 restaurants, and the largest Odeon cinema in the UK.[65]
2001 UK Census[66] | Trafford | North West England | England |
---|---|---|---|
Population of working age | 151,445 | 4,839,669 | 35,532,091 |
Full time employment | 43.4% | 38.8% | 40.8% |
Part time employment | 11.9% | 11.9% | 11.8% |
Self employed | 8.0% | 7.1% | 8.3% |
Unemployed | 2.7% | 3.6% | 3.3% |
Retired | 13.9% | 14.3% | 13.5% |
Trafford is a prosperous area, with an average weekly income of £394, and apart from Manchester it is the only borough in Greater Manchester to be above the national average for weekly income and is on average the highest in the county. Media, advertising and public relations have been identified as growth industries in Greater Manchester and are concentrated in Manchester and Trafford.[67] Average house prices in Trafford are the highest out of all the metropolitan boroughs in Greater Manchester, 52% higher than the average for the county.[68]
As of the 2001 UK census, Trafford had 151,445 residents aged 16 to 74. 2.5% of these people were students with jobs, 5.7% looking after home or family, 5.4% permanently sick or disabled and 2.8% economically inactive for other reasons. Trafford has a low rate of unemployment (2.7%) compared with Greater Manchester (3.6%) and England as a whole (3.3%).[66]
In 2001, of 99,146 residents of Trafford in employment, the industry of employment was 17.1% property and business services, 16.5% retail and wholesale, 12.3% manufacturing, 11.9% health and social work, 8.2% education, 8.0% transport and communications, 5.9% construction, 5.5% finance, 4.5% public administration and defence, 4.0% hotels and restaurants, 0.8% energy and water supply, 0.6% agriculture, and 4.6% other. This was roughly in line with national figures, except for the proportion of jobs in agriculture which is less than half the national average, reflecting Trafford's suburban nature and its proximity to the centre of Manchester.[69]
As of March 2007, Trafford has 6 Grade I, 11 Grade II*, and 228 Grade II listed buildings. Trafford has the equal second highest number of Grade I listed buildings out of the districts of Greater Manchester behind Manchester.[70][71] Most of Trafford's Grade I listed buildings are in the south of the borough: the old Church of St. Werburgh in Warburton; Dunham Massey Hall itself, and the stables and carriage house belonging to the hall; Royd House in Hale; and the Church of All Saints in Urmston in the north of the borough.[71] Trafford has three of Greater Manchester’s 21 Sites of Special Scientific Interest. Brookheys Covert is a semi-natural wood consisting mainly of ash, birch, and rowan, with a wetland habitat covering 5.8 acres (2.3 ha) in Dunham Massey.[72] Cotteril Clough is an area of woodland that is among the most diverse in Greater Manchester.[73] Dunham Park is an area of “pasture-woodland or park-woodland” and has been since the Middle Ages, including many oak trees that date back to the 17th century, and covers 192.7 acres (78.0 ha).[74] Also in Trafford are many parks and open spaces; there are 21.2 square miles (55 km2) of greenspace, 51.8% of the total area covered by the borough.[17] Tourist attractions in Trafford include Old Trafford football ground and Old Trafford Cricket Ground.
Chill Factore is an indoor ski slope in Trafford Park. It features the UK's longest and widest real snow indoor slope, 100 metres (110 yd) wide and 180 metres (200 yd) long.[75]
Dunham Massey Hall and Park is an 18th-century hall[76] with a 250-acre (1.0 km2) deer park, both now owned by the National Trust and previously owned by the Earls of Stamford. The hall is early Georgian in style. The hall and grounds are open to the public and are a popular tourist attraction, with over 110,000 visitors in 2006.[77][78]
Imperial War Museum North is a war museum in Trafford Park and was opened in 2002. The museum won the 2003 British Construction Industry Building Award, and the title of Large Visitor Attraction of the Year at the 2006 Manchester Tourism Awards.[79]
Sale Water Park is a 152-acre (62 ha) area of countryside and parkland including a 52-acre (21 ha) artificial lake created when the M60 motorway was built.[80] The water park is the site of the Broad Ees Dole wildlife refuge, a Local Nature Reserve that provides a home for migratory birds.[81]
Timperley Old Hall is a medieval moated site in Timperley near Altrincham Municipal Golf Course. Excavation on the site over a period of 18 years has shown Timperley to be inhabited since the Bronze Age. A grant from the Heritage Lottery Fund has been made to develop the site into a community project.[6]
Trafford has two medieval castles. Dunham Castle is an early medieval castle in Dunham Massey. It belonged to Hamon de Massey, and was probably still standing in the early 14th century. The bailey was landscaped into the grounds of Dunham Massey Hall and its moat turned into an ornamental pond.[82] Watch Hill Castle is an early medieval motte-and-bailey castle on the border of Dunham Massey and Bowdon. It is listed as a Scheduled Ancient Monument. The motte and surrounding ditch still survives, although it had fallen out of use by the 13th century.[83]
Trafford is the home of three major sports clubs: Manchester United F.C., Lancashire County Cricket Club, Manchester Phoenix, and formerly Sale Sharks. Manchester United began as Newton Heath L&YR F.C. in 1878.[84] The team plays at Old Trafford football ground, which is sometimes used as a stadium for international matches. Manchester United have won the Premier League 17 times and the FA Cup 11 times. They last won the Premier League in 2007–08.[85] LCCC started as the Manchester Cricket Club,[86] and represents the historic county of Lancashire. The club contested the original 1890 County Championship.[87] Old Trafford Cricket Ground – Lancashire's home ground – stages international matches, including Test matches and One Day Internationals.[88] The team has won the county championship 8 times; in 2007, Lancashire finished third in the county championship, narrowly missing out on winning their first championship title since 1950.[89][90] Manchester Phoenix, a member of the Elite Ice Hockey League, plays home games at the Altrincham Ice Dome. The club was formed in 2003 as the successor to Manchester Storm; in 2006–07 they finished sixth in the Elite Ice Hockey League. Although Sale Sharks now play at Edgeley Park in Stockport, they retain their name from when they were based at Heywood Road in Sale; Heywood Road is still used as the team's training ground.[91] Sale Sharks won the Guinness Premiership in 2006; in 2006–07 they finished tenth.
As well as being home to several large clubs, Trafford plays host to smaller clubs, including Altrincham F.C., Flixton F.C., and Trafford F.C.. Both Flixton F.C. and Trafford F.C. play in the North West Counties Football League Division One. Flixton F.C. was formed in 1960 and earned promotion to NWCF Division One at the end of the 2006–07 season. Trafford F.C. was formed in 1990 and finished fifth in the 2006–07 season.[92] Altrincham F.C. was founded in 1903 and plays in the Football Conference. In 2006–07, the club narrowly avoided relegation.[93]
There are 73 primary schools in Trafford, 17 secondary and grammar schools, and 6 special schools.[94] Trafford maintains a selective education system, with grammar schools, assessed by the Eleven Plus exam. Trafford College, a new £29M "super college" in Stretford, is the only college of further education in Trafford. It was opened in 2007, following a merger between South Trafford College and North Trafford College.[95] Overall, Trafford was ranked 3rd out of all of the Local Education Authorities in National Curriculum assessment performance in 2007.[96] Absences from Trafford secondary schools in 2006–07, authorised and unauthorised, were 5.6% and 0.8% respectively, both lower than the national average (6.4% and 1.4%).[97] From the 2007 GCSE results, the Trafford LEA was ranked 5th out of 148 in the country – and first in Greater Manchester – based on the percentage of pupils attaining at least 5 A*–C grades at GCSE including maths and English (60.8% compared with the national average of 46.7%).[98]
From the 2007 GCSE results and A-level results, Altrincham Grammar School for Girls was the most successful secondary school in Trafford, with 100% of pupils gaining five or more GCSEs at A*–C grade including maths and English. At A-level, Altrincham Grammar Schools for Girls was the 39th most successful school in the country.[99][100] St. Ambrose College is undergoing a £17M rebuild of the school on the current school grounds in Hale Barns.[101]
2001 UK Census[54] | Trafford | North West England | England |
---|---|---|---|
Population | 210,145 | 6,729,764 | 49,138,831 |
Christian | 75.8% | 78.0% | 71.7% |
Muslim | 3.3% | 3.0% | 3.1% |
Jewish | 1.1% | 0.4% | 0.5% |
No religion | 12.0% | 10.5% | 14.6% |
As of the 2001 UK census, 75.8% of Trafford’s residents reported themselves as being Christian, 3.3% Muslim, 1.1% Jewish, 0.6% Hindu, 0.2% Buddhist and 0.5% Sikh. The census recorded 12.0% as having no religion, 0.2% had an alternative religion and 6.4% did not state their religion.[54] Trafford is covered by the Catholic Dioceses of Shrewsbury and Salford,[102][103] and the Church of England Diocese of Manchester.[104]
There are two Grade I listed churches in Trafford: St. Werburgh's Church, in Warburton, is a timber framed church and dates back to at least the 14th century;[105] All Saints' Church, in Urmston, was constructed in 1868 by E. W. Pugin, and is considered to be one of his best works.[106] Of the 11 Grade II* listed buildings in Trafford, seven are churches: Hale Chapel in Hale; the Church of St John the Divine in Sale; Church of St Mary the Virgin in Bowdon; St. Martin's Church in Sale; St. Michael's Church in Flixton; St. Margaret’s Church in Altrincham; St. George’s Church in Carrington.[71]
The Manchester Metrolink runs generally north–south through Trafford, with its southern terminus in Altrincham; it serves Cornbrook, Trafford Bar, Old Trafford, Stretford, Dane Road, Sale, Brooklands, Timperley, Navigation Road, and Altrincham. The line opened in 1992 and replaced the Manchester, South Junction and Altrincham Railway.[107] The other railways in Trafford are the Liverpool and Manchester Railway and the Cheshire Lines Committee. The 20-acre (8 ha) Trafford Park Euroterminal rail freight terminal was opened in 1993. It cost £11 million and has the capacity to deal with 100,000 containers a year.[108]
The council is responsible for the maintenance of Trafford's roads and pavements.[109][110] In November 2007, Trafford council announced an increased investment in "maintaining and improving the borough's highways" by £3M to £6.5M. The money will provide for the resurfacing of about 60 kilometres (37 mi) of road.[111] Part of the M60 orbital motorway passes through Trafford, from junctions 6–10 inclusive. Trafford is one of the three Greater Manchester metropolitan boroughs to oppose the introduction of the Manchester Congestion Charge, along with Stockport and Bury.[112] The proposed zone of charging would extend into Trafford as far as the M60 motorway.[113] Amongst the reasons Trafford council has given for opposing the charge is the issue of funding.[114] Trafford Cycle Forum was established to promote cycling in Trafford;[115] the group actively campaigns to raise money for cycling in the borough.[116]
|
|