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Trafford Council

{{Short description|Local government body in Greater Manchester, England}}

{{EngvarB|date=December 2018}}

{{Use dmy dates|date=December 2018}}

{{Infobox legislature

| name = Trafford Council

| coa_pic = Trafford Council logo.svg

| coa_res = 200

| coa_alt = Arms of Trafford Council

| logo_pic =

| logo_caption =

| logo_res =

| logo_alt =

| house_type = Metropolitan borough council

| body =

| foundation = 1 April 1974

| preceded_by =

| leader1_type = Mayor

| leader1 = Amy Whyte

| party1 =
Labour

| election1 = 22 May 2024{{cite web |title=Council meeting, 22 May 2024 |url=https://democratic.trafford.gov.uk/ieListDocuments.aspx?CId=122&MId=3663 |website=Trafford Council |access-date=4 June 2024}}{{cite web |title=Have your say on our country's future, urges Trafford's new Mayor |url=https://www.trafford.gov.uk/residents/news/articles/2024/20240529-Have-your-say-on-our-country%27s-future-urges-Trafford%27s-new-Mayor.aspx |website=Trafford Council |access-date=4 June 2024 |date=30 May 2024}}

| leader2_type = Leader

| leader2 = Tom Ross

| party2 =
Labour

| election2 = 17 December 2022{{cite web | url=https://www.messengernewspapers.co.uk/news/23198678.new-trafford-council-leader-announced-by-election/ | title=New Trafford Council leader announced after by-election | date=18 December 2022 }}

| leader3_type = Chief Executive

| leader3 = Sara Todd

| party3 =

| election3 = 1 February 2019

| seats = 63 councillors

| structure1 = Trafford Couuncil 2024.svg

| structure1_res = 250

| structure1_alt =

| political_groups1 =

; Administration (43)

:{{Color box|{{party color|Labour Party (UK)}}|border=darkgray}} Labour (43)

; Other parties (20)

:{{Color box|{{party color|Conservative Party (UK)}}|border=darkgray}} Conservative (8)

:{{Color box|{{party color|Green Party of England and Wales}}|border=darkgray}} Green (6)

:{{nowrap|{{Color box|{{party color|Liberal Democrats (UK)}}|border=darkgray}} Liberal Democrats (6)}}

| committees1 =

| joint_committees = Greater Manchester Combined Authority
Greater Manchester Police, Fire and Crime Panel

| term_length =

| voting_system1 = First-past-the-post

| last_election1 = 2 May 2024

| next_election1 = 7 May 2026

| session_room = Stretford Town Hall - geograph.org.uk - 5295314.jpg

| session_res =

| session_alt =

| meeting_place = Trafford Town Hall, Talbot Road, Stretford, Manchester, M32{{nbsp}}0TH

| website = {{URL|trafford.gov.uk/}}

| footnotes =

| motto =

}}

Trafford Council, or Trafford Metropolitan Borough Council, is the local authority of the Metropolitan Borough of Trafford in Greater Manchester, England. It is a metropolitan borough council and provides the majority of local government services in the borough. The council has been a member of the Greater Manchester Combined Authority since 2011.

The council has been under Labour majority control since 2019. It is based at Trafford Town Hall in Stretford.

History

The Metropolitan Borough of Trafford and its council were created in 1974 under the Local Government Act 1972 as one of ten metropolitan districts within the new metropolitan county of Greater Manchester. The first election was held in 1973. For its first year the council acted as a shadow authority alongside the area's seven outgoing authorities, being the borough councils of Altrincham, Sale and Stretford, the urban district councils of Bowdon, Hale, and Urmston, and the Bucklow Rural District Council (in respect of four of its parishes only). The new metropolitan district and its council formally came into being on 1 April 1974, at which point the old districts and their councils were abolished.{{cite legislation UK|type=act|act=Local Government Act 1972|year=1972|chapter=70|schedule=1|access-date=30 May 2024}}

The metropolitan district was awarded borough status from its creation, allowing the chair of the council to take the title of mayor.{{cite web |title=District Councils and Boroughs |url=https://api.parliament.uk/historic-hansard/written-answers/1974/mar/28/district-councils-and-boroughs#S5CV0871P0_19740328_CWA_145 |website=Parliamentary Debates (Hansard) |access-date=30 May 2024 |date=28 March 1974}} The council styles itself Trafford Council rather than its full formal name of Trafford Metropolitan Borough Council.{{cite web |title=Find your local council |url=https://www.gov.uk/find-local-council/trafford |website=gov.uk |access-date=31 May 2024}}{{cite web |url=https://www.trafford.gov.uk/about-your-council/about-us/docs/part-1-constitution-summary.pdf |title=CONSTITUTION FOR EXECUTIVE GOVERNANCE |website=Trafford Council |access-date=19 March 2018}}

From 1974 until 1986 the council was a lower-tier authority, with upper-tier functions provided by the Greater Manchester County Council. The county council was abolished in 1986 and its functions passed to Greater Manchester's ten borough councils, including Trafford, with some services provided through joint committees.{{cite legislation UK|type=act|act=Local Government Act 1985|year=1985|chapter=51|access-date=5 April 2024}}

Since 2011 the council has been a member of the Greater Manchester Combined Authority, which has been led by the directly elected Mayor of Greater Manchester since 2017. The combined authority provides strategic leadership and co-ordination for certain functions across Greater Manchester, notably regarding transport and town planning, but Trafford Council continues to be responsible for most local government functions.{{cite legislation UK|type=si|si=The Greater Manchester Combined Authority Order 2011|year=2011|number=908|access-date=30 May 2024}}{{cite web |title=Understand how your council works |url=https://www.gov.uk/understand-how-your-council-works |website=gov.uk |access-date=30 May 2024}}

Governance

Trafford Council provides metropolitan borough services. Some strategic functions in the area are provided by the Greater Manchester Combined Authority; the leader of Trafford Council sits on the combined authority as Trafford's representative.{{cite web |title=GMCA Members |url=https://www.greatermanchester-ca.gov.uk/who-we-are/gmca-members/ |website=Greater Manchester Combined Authority |access-date=30 May 2024}} There are four civil parishes in the borough at Carrington, Dunham Massey, Partington and Warburton, which form an additional tier of local government for their areas; the rest of the borough is unparished.{{cite web |title=Election Maps |url=https://www.ordnancesurvey.co.uk/election-maps/gb/ |publisher=Ordnance Survey |access-date=30 May 2024}}

=Political control=

The council has been under Labour majority control since 2019.

Political control of the council since the 1974 reforms took effect has been as follows:{{cite web |title=Compositions calculator |url=https://www.electionscentre.co.uk/?page_id=3825 |website=The Elections Centre |access-date=10 August 2022}}{{cite web | title = Declaration of result of poll: Trafford | url = http://www.trafford.gov.uk/about-your-council/elections/docs/Declaration-of-results-2016.pdf | publisher = Government of the United Kingdom | author = Trafford Metropolitan Borough Council | author-link = Trafford Metropolitan Borough Council | date = 5 May 2016 | access-date = 7 May 2016}}

class="wikitable"
colspan="2"|Party in controlYears
{{Party name with colour|Conservative Party (UK)}}1974–1986
{{Party name with colour|No overall control}}1986–1988
{{Party name with colour|Conservative Party (UK)}}1988–1995
{{Party name with colour|No overall control}}1995–1996
{{Party name with colour|Labour Party (UK)}}1996–2003
{{Party name with colour|No overall control}}2003–2004
{{Party name with colour|Conservative Party (UK)}}2004–2018
{{Party name with colour|No overall control}}2018–2019
{{Party name with colour|Labour Party (UK)}}2019–present

=Leadership=

The role of mayor is largely ceremonial in Trafford. Political leadership is instead provided by the leader of the council. The leaders since 1974 have been:{{cite web |title=Council minutes |url=https://democratic.trafford.gov.uk/mgCalendarMonthView.aspx?GL=1&bcr=1 |website=Trafford Council |access-date=2 September 2022}}

class=wikitable

! Councillor !! colspan=2|Party !! From !! To

Arthur Littler{{party name with colour|Conservative Party (UK)}}align=right|1 April 1974align=right|22 May 1974
Frank Eadie{{party name with colour|Conservative Party (UK)}}align=right|22 May 1974align=right|1975
Michael King{{party name with colour|Conservative Party (UK)}}align=right|1975align=right|1976
Colin Warbrick{{party name with colour|Conservative Party (UK)}}align=right|1976align=right|1977
Michael King{{party name with colour|Conservative Party (UK)}}align=right|1977align=right|1978
Jonathan Taylor{{party name with colour|Conservative Party (UK)}}align=right|1978align=right|1982
Michael King{{party name with colour|Conservative Party (UK)}}align=right|1982align=right|1985
Colin Warbrick{{party name with colour|Conservative Party (UK)}}align=right|1985align=right|1986
Barry Brotherton{{party name with colour|Labour Party (UK)}}align=right|1986align=right|1988
Colin Warbrick{{party name with colour|Conservative Party (UK)}}align=right|1988align=right|1993
Frank Eadie{{party name with colour|Conservative Party (UK)}}align=right|1993align=right|1995
Beverley Hughes{{party name with colour|Labour Party (UK)}}align=right|1995align=right|1997
David Acton{{party name with colour|Labour Party (UK)}}align=right|1997align=right|2004
Susan Williams{{party name with colour|Conservative Party (UK)}}align=right|2004align=right|19 May 2009
Matthew Colledge{{party name with colour|Conservative Party (UK)}}align=right|19 May 2009align=right|13 Mar 2014
Sean Anstee{{party name with colour|Conservative Party (UK)}}align=right|13 Mar 2014align=right|23 May 2018
Andrew Western{{party name with colour|Labour Party (UK)}}align=right|23 May 2018align=right|4 Jan 2023
Tom Ross{{party name with colour|Labour Party (UK)}}align=right|4 Jan 2023align=right|

=Composition=

Following the 2024 election, the composition of the council was:{{cite news |title=Local elections 2024: full mayoral and council results for England |url=https://www.theguardian.com/politics/ng-interactive/2024/may/02/local-elections-2024-full-council-results-for-england |access-date=21 May 2024 |work=The Guardian |date=4 May 2024}}

class="wikitable"

! colspan=2| Party

! Councillors

{{Party name with colour|Labour Party (UK)}}align=center|43
{{Party name with colour|Conservative Party (UK)}}align=center|8
{{Party name with colour|Green Party of England and Wales}}align=center|6
{{Party name with colour|Liberal Democrats (UK)}}align=center|6
colspan=2|Total

! align=center|63

The next election is due in May 2026.

Elections

{{also|Trafford Metropolitan Borough Council elections}}

Since the last boundary changes in 2023, the council has comprised 63 councillors representing 21 wards, with each ward electing three councillors. Elections are held three years out of every four, with a third of the council (one councillor for each ward) elected each time for a four-year term of office.{{cite legislation UK|type=si|si=The Trafford (Electoral Changes) Order 2022|year=2022|number=1375|access-date=4 June 2024}}

Wards and councillors

Each ward is represented by three councillors.{{cite web | title = Your Councillors | url = https://democratic.trafford.gov.uk/mgMemberIndex.aspx?FN=WARD&VW=LIST&PIC=0 | publisher = Government of the United Kingdom | work = Trafford MBC | access-date = 4 June 2016 }}

class="wikitable"
Parliamentary constituency

!Ward

!Councillor

!colspan=2 | Party

!Term of office

rowspan=27 | Altrincham & Sale
West constituency

|rowspan="3"| Altrincham

|Geraldine Coggins

| {{Party name with colour|Green Party of England and Wales}}

|2023–27

Daniel Jerrome

| {{Party name with colour|Green Party of England and Wales}}

|2023–26

Michael Welton

| {{Party name with colour|Green Party of England and Wales}}

|2024–28

rowspan="3"| Ashton upon Mersey

|Shona Gilbert

| {{Party name with colour|Labour Party (UK)}}

|2023–27

Ben Hartley

| {{Party name with colour|Labour Party (UK)}}

|2023–26

Tony O'Brien

| {{Party name with colour|Labour Party (UK)}}

|2024-28

rowspan="3"| Bowdon

|Phil Eckersley

| {{Party name with colour|Conservative Party (UK)}}

|2023–27

Shengke Zhi

| {{Party name with colour|Conservative Party (UK)}}

|2023–26

Lisa Hancock

| {{Party name with colour|Conservative Party (UK)}}

|2024-28

rowspan="3"| Broadheath

|Denise Western

| {{Party name with colour|Labour Party (UK)}}

|2023–27

Amy Whyte

| {{Party name with colour|Labour Party (UK)}}

|2023–26

Ulrich Savary

| {{Party name with colour|Labour Party (UK)}}

|2024-28

rowspan="3"| Hale Barns & Timperley South

|Dylan Butt

| {{Party name with colour|Conservative Party (UK)}}

|2023–27

Nathan Evans

| {{Party name with colour|Conservative Party (UK)}}

|2023–26

Michael Taylor

| {{Party name with colour|Conservative Party (UK)}}

|2024-28

rowspan="3"| Hale

|Jane Leicester

| {{Party name with colour|Green Party of England and Wales}}

|2023–27

Hannah Spencer

| {{Party name with colour|Green Party of England and Wales}}

|2023–26

Owain Sutton

| {{Party name with colour|Green Party of England and Wales}}

|2024-28

rowspan="3"| Manor

|Rob Duncan

| {{Party name with colour|Conservative Party (UK)}}

|2023–27

John Holden

| {{Party name with colour|Conservative Party (UK)}}

|2023–26

Keleigh Glenton

| {{Party name with colour|Labour Party (UK)}}

|2024-28

rowspan="3"| Timperley Central

|Shaun Ennis

| {{Party name with colour|Liberal Democrats (UK)}}

|2023–27

Julian Newgrosh

| {{Party name with colour|Liberal Democrats (UK)}}

|2023–26

Simon Lepori

| {{Party name with colour|Liberal Democrats (UK)}}

|2024-28

rowspan="3"| Timperley North

|Jane Brophy

| {{Party name with colour|Liberal Democrats (UK)}}

|2023–27

Will Frass

| {{Party name with colour|Liberal Democrats (UK)}}

|2023–26

Meena Minnis

| {{Party name with colour|Liberal Democrats (UK)}}

|2024-28

rowspan=27 | [[Stretford and Urmston (UK Parliament constituency)|Stretford & Urmston

constituency]]

|rowspan="3"| Bucklow-St. Martins

|Frances Cosby

| {{Party name with colour|Labour Party (UK)}}

|2023–27

Aidan Williams

| {{Party name with colour|Labour Party (UK)}}

|2023–26

James Wright

| {{Party name with colour|Labour Party (UK)}}

|2024-28

rowspan="3"| Davyhulme

|Sue Maitland

| {{Party name with colour|Labour Party (UK)}}

|2023–27

Karina Carter

| {{Party name with colour|Labour Party (UK)}}

|2023–26

Barry Winstanley

| {{Party name with colour|Labour Party (UK)}}

|2024-28

rowspan="3"| Flixton

|Ged Carter

| {{Party name with colour|Labour Party (UK)}}

|2023–27

Dolores O'Sullivan

| {{Party name with colour|Labour Party (UK)}}

|2023–26

Simon Thomas

| {{Party name with colour|Labour Party (UK)}}

|2024-28

rowspan="3"| Gorse Hill & Cornbrook

|David Acton

| {{Party name with colour|Labour Party (UK)}}

|2023–27

Fianna Hornby

| {{Party name with colour|Labour Party (UK)}}

|2023–26

George Devlin

| {{Party name with colour|Labour Party (UK)}}

|2024-28

rowspan="3"| Longford

|Sarah Haughey

| {{Party name with colour|Labour Party (UK)}}

|2023–27

Judith Lloyd

| {{Party name with colour|Labour Party (UK)}}

|2023–26

Dave Jarman

| {{Party name with colour|Labour Party (UK)}}

|2024-28

rowspan="3"| Lostock & Barton

|Jill Axford

| {{Party name with colour|Labour Party (UK)}}

|2023–27

Mike Cordingley

| {{Party name with colour|Labour Party (UK)}}

|2023–26

Shirley Procter

| {{Party name with colour|Labour Party (UK)}}

|2024-28

rowspan="3"| Old Trafford

|Waseem Hassan

| {{Party name with colour|Labour Party (UK)}}

|2023–27

Emma Hirst

| {{Party name with colour|Labour Party (UK)}}

|2023–26

Sophie Taylor

| {{Party name with colour|Labour Party (UK)}}

|2024-28

rowspan="3"| Stretford & Humphrey Park

|Stephen Adshead

| {{Party name with colour|Labour Party (UK)}}

|2023–27

Jane Slater

| {{Party name with colour|Labour Party (UK)}}

|2023–26

Tom Ross

| {{Party name with colour|Labour Party (UK)}}

|2024-28

rowspan="3"| Urmston

|Joanne Harding

| {{Party name with colour|Labour Party (UK)}}

|2023–27

Catherine Hynes

| {{Party name with colour|Labour Party (UK)}}

|2023–26

Kevin Procter

| {{Party name with colour|Labour Party (UK)}}

|2024-28

rowspan=9 | Wythenshawe & Sale
East constituency

|rowspan="3"| Brooklands

|Will Jones

| {{Party name with colour|Labour Party (UK)}}

|2023–27

Rose Thompson

| {{Party name with colour|Labour Party (UK)}}

|2023–26

Bilal Babar

| {{Party name with colour|Labour Party (UK)}}

|2024-28

rowspan="3"| Sale Central

|Barry Brotherton

| {{Party name with colour|Labour Party (UK)}}

|2023–27

Eve Parker

| {{Party name with colour|Labour Party (UK)}}

|2023–26

Zak Deakin

| {{Party name with colour|Labour Party (UK)}}

|2024-28

rowspan="3"| Sale Moor

|Joanne Bennett

| {{Party name with colour|Labour Party (UK)}}

|2023–27

Liz Patel

| {{Party name with colour|Labour Party (UK)}}

|2023–26

Olly Baskerville

| {{Party name with colour|Labour Party (UK)}}

|2024-28

Premises

The council is based at Trafford Town Hall, on Talbot Road in Stretford. The building was originally called Stretford Town Hall, having been completed in 1933 for the former Stretford Borough Council, one of Trafford Council's predecessors.{{NHLE|desc=Trafford Town Hall, Talbot Road|num=1391923|grade=II|access-date=4 June 2024}} Most of the council's offices are in a modern extension to the rear of the building which opened in 2013, replacing an earlier office extension of 1983 on the same site.{{cite news |last1=Mara |first1=Felix |title=Keep it simple: Trafford Town Hall redevelopment by 5Plus |url=https://www.architectsjournal.co.uk/buildings/keep-it-simple-trafford-town-hall-redevelopment-by-5plus |access-date=4 June 2024 |work=Architects' Journal |date=18 July 2013}}

References

{{Reflist}}

{{Local authorities in Greater Manchester}}

{{Metropolitan districts of England}}

{{Manchester}}

Category:Metropolitan district councils of England

Category:Local authorities in Greater Manchester

Category:Leader and cabinet executives

Category:Local education authorities in England

Category:Billing authorities in England

Category:1974 establishments in England

Council