More than a quarter of Oldham’s households have no access to a car, according to census data released earlier this month.

Additionally, those living in the South East of England are more than 75 per cent more likely to own three or more cars than Oldhamers.

The data shows how England and Wales looked on Census Day, back in March 2021.

According to the data, 27.6 per cent of Oldham’s households have no cars or vans.

Just more than two-fifths of Oldhamers, 42.6 per cent, have one car or van, with 23.1 per cent having two.

A small minority of households have three or more cars or vans, at 6.7 per cent.

Oldham has now risen to become the third-most carless borough in Greater Manchester.

ALSO READ: Figures show Oldham has sixth lowest cycling rate in England.

In the lead was Manchester, where 39 per cent of Mancunian households have no cars or vans.

Salford was the second-most car-free.

Trafford was the borough with the highest rate of household car or van ownership, with just 19.3 per cent of Trafford households not having a car or van.

Within Oldham, Oldham Town North, in the town centre, had by far the highest proportion of carless households, at 56.4 per cent.

Oldham Town South was second, at 38.9 per cent. The areas with the highest car ownership rates were Middleton Junction, with just 10.6 per cent of households car free, and New Delph, Dobcross & Austerlands, at 10.9 per cent.

Diggle, Delph & Denshaw had the highest proportion of households with three or more cars/vans, at 13.9 per cent. Just 2.1 per cent of households in Oldham Town North had three or more cars/vans.

In the 2011 census, 31.2 per cent of Oldham’s households were car-free – which was fourth at the time, behind Manchester (44.5), Salford (36.9), and Rochdale (31.4).

Across England, 24 per cent of households had no car or van in 2021, down from 26 per cent in 2011.

Broken down, 41 per cent of households had one car and 26 per cent had two. Just 9 per cent had three or more cars.

London was the most car-free region in the country, with 42 per cent of households having no car or van. This was followed by the North East, at 28 per cent, and the North West, at 25 per cent.

The South West was the least car-free – with just 17 per cent of households having no car or van.

The South East census region, which excludes London, was the area where households were most likely to have three or more cars or vans, at 11.8 per cent – closely followed by the East and South West.

London (4 per cent), the North East (6.8 per cent), and the North West (7.6 per cent) were least likely to have three or more cars or vans.

Leader of Oldham Council, Cllr Amanda Chadderton, said: “The latest census data shows how more residents are no longer seeing the need to own a car to help with their daily travel, with many instead using other modes of transport to get to and from their destination.

“Oldham already has good access to a range of local public transport networks, which we are always looking to improve, and the Metrolink system is a great example as it connect residents with the rest of Greater Manchester.

“Last year we also saw a fantastic new initiative launched on our bus networks which now makes the cost of single-trip and day journeys more affordable for passengers.

“The council is also working hard to improve walking and cycling routes across the borough and link them up with public transport options so travelling in this way is easier, safer and more convenient for our residents.  

“Fewer cars on the road is a positive move forward for our environment too, as the air we breathe in will be cleaner and this helps improve the health of our residents.”