Horwich - Governance

Governance

Lying within the county boundaries of Lancashire since the 12th century, Horwich was a township in the historic ecclesiastical parish of Deane, in the Hundred of Salford. In 1837 Horwich joined with other townships and civil parishes to form the Bolton Poor Law Union and took joint responsibility for the administration and funding of the Poor Law in that area and built a workhouse in Farnworth. The Horwich Local Board of Health was established in 1872 and was superseded by Horwich Urban District of the administrative county of Lancashire in 1894. Under the Local Government Act 1972 Horwich Urban District was abolished in 1974 and its area became a successor parish of the newly created Metropolitan Borough of Bolton in Greater Manchester.

On 9 January 1974 Horwich was granted a Town Charter by the Earl Marshal, giving Horwich the status of a town, a town council and the ability to elect a mayor. An official Coat of Arms was granted and assigned on 6 December 1974 by the Earl Marshal.

Horwich is covered by two electoral wards of the Bolton Metropolitan Borough Council, the Horwich and Blackrod, and Horwich North East wards. Each ward elects three councillors to the metropolitan borough council. The Horwich Town Council, formed in 1974, has six wards, Vale, Bridge, Lever Park, Church, Claypool and Brazley, which elect 14 representatives to the town council.

Horwich is part of the Bolton West constituency. Its Member of Parliament is Julie Hilling who won the parliamentary seat for the Labour Party at the 2010 general election.