in 1974, the then County Borough of Rochdale was abolished and replaced by the Metropolitan Borough of Rochdale, a local government district of Greater Manchester. Buckley falls within the Rochdale county constituency, which is represented by Simon Danczuk MP, a member of the Labour Party. Landmarks Buckley Hall and has been the only significant landmark in Buckley. It first makes an appearance in record in a written description dated 1626, but was at that time noted as being an ancient hall. It held a collection of vertu until it was dispersed in 1884. The Brothers of Charity, an institute of the Catholic Church, successfully agitated for the purchase of Buckley Hall and its conversion into an orphanage for Catholic boys. The orphanage was operational from 1888, until 1947. As a means to replace "crumbling Victorian prisons", and to cope with an increasingly large prison population of England and Wales, the government of the United Kingdom turned to the private sector and gave contracts to companies for the operation of private prisons. HM Prison Buckley Hall was the fourth privately managed prison in the United Kingdom, and the first privatised Category C establishment holding medium security prisoners. Between 1966 and 1989 it operated as a senior detention centre. It reopened in 1994 before a demolition of the Buckley Hall mansion and rebuilding programme took place. The present prison buildings opened in 1995. In 2002, HMP Buckley Hall reopened as a prison for female offenders; the first prisoners arrived in April that year. As a result of increases in the size of Britain's male prison population, HMP Buckley Hall was reverted to a male Category C prison in September 2005 with prisoners arriving in December 2005. In 2009, HMP Buckley Hall had a maximum prisoner capacity of 381. Public services Buckley is policed by the Greater Manchester Police force, and falls within the Healey community area of Rochdale North. Rochdale Police Station is the closest police station. Statutory emergency fire and rescue service is provided by the Greater Manchester Fire and Rescue Service, from fire stations at Rochdale and Littleborough. Hospital services are provided by The Pennine Acute Hospitals NHS Trust who provide an accident and emergency (CLOSING in April 2011) service at Rochdale Infirmary and Mental Health Services are provided by Pennine Care NHS Foundation Trust at Birch Hill Hospital. Community health services, including GPs, district and community nurses, dentists and