Salford City Council: local authority assessment

Published: 15 May 2026 Page last updated: 15 May 2026

Downloads

How we assess local authorities

Assessment published: 15 May 2026

About Salford City Council

Demographics

Salford City Council is a metropolitan borough council located in the north of England. Salford City Council covers an area of approximately 37 square miles, and the city has several districts which include; Eccles, Worsley, Irlam and Cadishead, and Swinton and Pendlebury. The city has no distinct centre and is bordered by Trafford to the south, the City of Manchester to the East across the River Irwell, Wigan to the west and Bolton and Bury to the north.  

Salford is home to approximately 294,3000 people according to 2024 data. The majority of the population of Salford are White (82.34%) with 6.1% from Black, Black British, Caribbean or African background, 5.5% of people who are Asian or Asian British, 3.1% who are from a Mixed or multiple background, and 2.9% from Other ethnic groups. There is a higher proportion of the population in the city who are aged 18-64 (65.83%) compared to the England average (60.48%). The population of Salford increased by 15.4% overall between 2011 and 2021, according to census data which was the largest population increase in the North West of England.

Salford has an Index of Multiple Deprivation score of 2 (with 1 being the most deprived) and is ranked 19 out of 153 local authorities for deprivation nationally (with 1 being the most deprived). Irlam, Broughton and Little Hulton are the areas with the highest deprivation.

Salford Integrated Care Partnership (ICP) forms part of the Greater Manchester Integrated Care System (ICS). People in Salford were primarily served by Salford Royal Hospital.  

Since 2016, Salford City Council has had two section 75 agreements. There was a delegation of functions to the Northern Care Alliance (NCA) Foundation Trust and the Greater Manchester Mental Health Trust (GMMH). There was a contract for the provision of adult social care services between Salford City Council and the Greater Manchester Integrated Care Board with the NCA. A Section 75 agreement is a legal arrangement under the National Health Service Act 2006 that allows NHS bodies and local authorities in England to pool budgets, delegate functions, and integrate services, especially in areas like adult social care, public health, and children’s services. The local authority retains some strategic commissioning and adult social care functions.

The council has 20 Wards and 60 elected members. Salford had a City Mayor (Labour) with a Labour majority at the time of our assessment. Salford is part of the Greater Manchester Combined Authority.  

Financial facts  

  • The local authority’s total spend was £580,963,000 in 2024/25, in comparison to a total spend of £522,404,000 in 2023/24. In 2024/25, 18.05% of the spend was spent on adult social care. Spend figures are net current expenditure (total service expenditure) sourced from Outturn Data and are not adjusted for inflation.
  • The local authority’s total spend on adult social care was £104,872,202 in 2024/25, compared to a total spend on adult social care of £88,133,347 in 2023/24. The local authority spent £45,453,135 (adult social care spend) per 100,000 adults in 2024/25. Spend figures are net current expenditure sourced from ASC Finance Returns and are not adjusted for inflation.
  • The local authority has raised the full adult social care precept for 2024/25, with a value of 2.0%. Please note that the amount raised through the adult social care varies from local authority to local authority.  
  • Approximately 4905 people were accessing long-term adult social care support, and approximately 2885 people were accessing short-term adult social care support in 2024/25. ​Local authorities spend money on a range of adult social care services, including supporting individuals. No two care packages are the same and vary significantly in their intensity, duration, and cost.  

This data is reproduced at the request of the Department of Health and Social Care. It has not been factored into our assessment and is presented for information purposes only.