election, two seats are held by the Labour Party and one by the Conservative Party. Geography At (53.4427°, −2.3844°) and northwest of central London, Flixton is located between Urmston and Irlam, which lie to the east and west. For the purposes of the Office for National Statistics, Flixton forms a south westerly part of the Greater Manchester Urban Area, with Manchester city centre to the north-northeast. Flixton ward's southern boundary is formed by the River Mersey, opposite the neighbouring ward of Bucklow St Martins. With the creation of the Manchester Ship Canal, which roughly followed the former path of the River Irwell, the township's western boundary with Irlam was adopted in 1896. Today, the ward's western boundary lies further east, running south through farmland near Woodsend Circle. Flixton's north and eastern boundaries are formed by Moorside Road and the area slightly east of Chassen Road railway station. Most of the town's population lives to the north, the south being mainly open land. Demography As of the United Kingdom Census 2001, Flixton ward's population was 9,473, 9,164 of whom were white, the remainder being either of mixed race, Asian, Black or Chinese. 3,789 people are listed as single and 3,543 as married for the first time; the remainder were either remarried, separated, divorced or widowed. 7,771 people considered themselves Christian, 952 stated they had no religion and 606 did not state their religion. 86 people are listed as Muslims, 22 as Hindus, 10 as Buddhist and 8 as Jewish. Of Flixton's 4,530 households 83.1 per cent are listed as owner occupied. Most houses in the area are semi-detached; the rest are detached, terraced or flats. Average household income for 2010 was £39,231. According to the 2001 census, of the 6,812 people aged 16–74, 46.1 per cent were employed on a full-time basis, 11.2 per cent part-time, and 7.3 per cent self-employed. 1.8 per cent were unemployed and seeking work, while 16.5 per cent were retired. Culture Flixton Band, formed in 1877, played at the official opening of the Manchester Ship Canal in 1894, attended by Queen Victoria. It was disbanded in 1933 but reformed in 1967, since when it has performed on television and radio. Local artist Frances Lennon, born in nearby Stretford, moved with her husband to Flixton in the late 1970s. Following his death she became a full-time painter, releasing several books including A Trafford Childhood (1986) and A