| Altrincham | |
| Subdivision Type: | Borough |
| Image Map Caption: | Altrincham within Cheshire in 1970 |
| Preceded By: | Altrincham Urban District |
| Start: | 1937 |
| End: | 1974 |
| Replace: | Trafford Metropolitan Borough [Greater Manchester] |
Altrincham was, from 1886 to 1974, a local government district in Cheshire, England. It held the status of local board, urban district and municipal borough before it was abolished by the Local Government Act 1972 and became a part of Trafford.[1]
In 1937 the urban district was granted a charter of incorporation and Altrincham became a municipal borough. The charter was formally presented by Sir William Bromley-Davenport, Lord Lieutenant of Cheshire at a charter celebration day held on 31 July.[2]
The borough council initially consisted of a mayor, seven aldermen, and twenty-one councillors, however in 1947 an additional ward was created bringing the total to eight aldermen, and twenty-four councillors. The charter mayor was the Earl of Stamford whose seat was Dunham Massey, just outside the town. One third of the councillors were elected annually, while half of the aldermen were elected by the council every three years.
The council initially consisted of two groupings, the dominant Independents and the Labour Party, the Independents held control from the borough's creation until 1949 Altrincham Municipal Borough Council election. In 1947, the Conservative Party contested local elections for the first time with eight of their ten candidates being elected, in 1949 they won overall control of the council which they held until 1961, most of the Independents either joined the Conservatives or were defeated. In 1958 the Liberal Party was elected to the council for the first time. From 1961 until 1966 the council was under no overall control with the Labour and Liberal groups outnumbering the Conservatives between 1962 and 1965. The Conservatives won control again in 1966 and held it until the council's final election in 1972 when they became the second-largest single party for the first time since 1949, and their only successful return was unopposed in South West ward.
| Party | Period | |
|---|---|---|
| 1937-1949 | ||
| 1949-1961 | ||
| 1961-1966 | ||
| 1966-1972 | ||
| 1972-1974 | ||