Prior to this, the area was represented by six other boroughs and districts: In 2006, facing a budget shortfall of over £10 million, Bury Metropolitan Council decided to sell its painting by L. S. Lowry called "A Riverbank".

[7] The painting raised £1.25 million for the authority on 17 November 2006 at the auction in London, costing the bidder £1,408,000 including commission.

[11] This was the result of a campaign against congestion charge plans that raised a petition with 9,460 names, well above the required five per cent of voters needed to trigger a mayoral vote.

The borough falls under the Greater Manchester Combined Authority, and is represented by the council leader, Eamonn O'Brien.

The silver field represents Whitefield, whilst the shield is supported with figures from the crests of Radcliffe and Prestwich.

These represent the Radcliffe and Egerton families and wear a red rose (for Lancashire) and a cogwheel (for industry).

[28] The Audit Commission[29] reported in 2006 that Bury Council continues to make good and sustained progress in improving services for local people.

The Audit Commission also noted that resident satisfaction was rising, reflecting improvements in the quality of the environment and services generally.

Ten parks have achieved green flag status, recycling levels are above average and street cleanliness is improving.

[31] In 2007, Bury LEA was ranked 45th out of 148 in the country – and 3rd in Greater Manchester – based on the percentage of pupils attaining at least 5 A*-C grades at GCSE including maths and English (47.8% compared with the national average of 45.8%).

It was a direct grant Catholic girls' school founded in 1878 by the Daughters of the Cross, a congregation of religious from Liège.

[33] Bury is at the heart of the largest public art scheme in the UK – the Irwell Sculpture Trail.

Works in the borough include Ulrich Ruckriem's sculpture in Radcliffe, on the site of the former Outwood Colliery.

Edward Allington's Tilted Vase sits in Market Place in the centre of Ramsbottom and has become a distinctive feature of interest.

There are six local nature reserves (LNRs) in the borough:[35] At the 2021 UK census, 48.8% of people in Bury stated they were Christian.

As in other cities the community gradually moved outward geographically and upward economically from its roots establishing itself in the more leafy suburbs of Crumpsall and Broughton Park as well as the town of Prestwich.

Later, a second migration of young families in the mid-1960s sought pastures even further away from these traditional areas settling in Whitefield, Sunny Bank and Unsworth.

[58] The Metropolitan Borough of Bury has five twin towns, in China, France, Germany and the United States.