Sefton Council

History

The metropolitan borough of Sefton and its council were created in 1974 under the Local Government Act 1972, covering the whole area of five former districts and parts of another, all of which were abolished at the same time:

• Bootle County Borough
• Crosby Municipal Borough
• Formby Urban District
• Litherland Urban District
• Southport County Borough
• West Lancashire Rural District (parishes of Aintree, Ince Blundell, Little Altcar, Lydiate, Maghull, Melling, Netherton, Sefton and Thornton only) The area was transferred from Lancashire to become one of the five districts in the new metropolitan county of Merseyside. The first election to the new council was held in 1973. For its first year the council acted as a shadow authority alongside the area's outgoing authorities. The new metropolitan district and its council formally came into being on 1 April 1974, at which point the old districts and their councils were abolished.

Sefton was the only one of the 36 metropolitan boroughs created in 1974 not to be granted borough status from its creation. The shadow authority had decided against petitioning for borough status, which allows the chair of the council to take the title of mayor. It instead established charter trustees to allow the three towns of Bootle, Crosby and Southport (which each had mayors prior to the reforms) to continue to appoint separate mayors. Shortly after the new council came into effect the decision was reversed, with the council petitioning Queen Elizabeth II for borough status and abolishing the three separate town mayoralties. A charter conferring borough status on Sefton was issued in 1975. The council styles itself Sefton Council rather than its full formal name of Sefton Metropolitan Borough Council.

From 1974 until 1986 the council was a lower-tier authority, with upper-tier functions provided by Merseyside County Council. The county council was abolished in 1986 and its functions passed to Merseyside's five borough councils, including Sefton, with some services provided through joint committees.

Since 2014 the council has been a member of the Liverpool City Region Combined Authority, which has been led by the directly elected Mayor of the Liverpool City Region since 2017. The combined authority provides strategic leadership and co-ordination for certain functions across the region, but Sefton Council continues to be responsible for most local government functions.

Governance

Sefton Council provides metropolitan borough services. Some strategic functions in the area are provided by the Liverpool City Region Combined Authority; the leader of Sefton Council sits on the combined authority as Sefton's representative. Parts of the borough are covered by civil parishes, which form an additional tier of local government for their areas.

Political control

The council has been under Labour majority control since 2012.

The first election to the council was held in 1973. It initially acted as a shadow authority alongside the outgoing authorities until the new arrangements formally came into effect on 1 April 1974. Political control of the council since 1974 has been as follows:

Leadership

The role of mayor is largely ceremonial in Sefton. Political leadership is instead provided by the leader of the council. The first leader, Tom Glover, had been the last leader of the old Southport Borough Council. The leaders since 1974 have been:

Composition

Following the 2024 election, and subsequent by-elections and changes of allegiance up to October 2025, the composition of the council was:

The next election is due in May 2026.

Elections

Since the last boundary changes in 2004, the council has comprised 66 councillors representing 22 wards, with each ward electing three councillors. Elections are held three years out of every four, with a third of the council (one councillor for each ward) elected each time for a four-year term of office.

The wards are:

• Ainsdale
• Birkdale
• Blundellsands
• Cambridge
• Church
• Derby
• Dukes
• Ford
• Harington
• Kew
• Linacre
• Litherland
• Manor
• Meols
• Molyneux
• Netherton and Orrell
• Norwood
• Park
• Ravenmeols
• St. Oswald
• Sudell
• Victoria

Premises

The council meets at both Bootle Town Hall and Southport Town Hall, each of which was inherited from one of the council's predecessor authorities. Full council meetings are usually held alternately at Bootle and Southport. The council's main offices are at Magdalen House, 30 Trinity Road, Bootle. Public-facing 'one stop shops' are at Stanley Road in Bootle and Lord Street in Southport.

References

References

1. "Council minutes, 16 May 2023".
2. (16 May 2024). "Dedicated Mayor makes history and jokes about secret to her success". Liverpool Echo.
3. "Council minutes, 15 May 2025".
4. "Council minutes, 18 January 2024".
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7. (28 March 1974). "District Councils and Boroughs".
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9. (20 March 1975). "Borough status for Sefton". Liverpool Echo.
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19. (20 March 1974). "Cllr Tom Glover is leader of Sefton". Formby Times.
20. (30 April 1981). "Sefton's new man at the top". Liverpool Daily Post.
21. (14 May 1982). "New leader for Sefton Tories". Liverpool Daily Post.
22. (29 May 1986). "Labour loses bid to take control of committees / Three party rule". Formby Times.
23. (10 July 1987). "Tories put Labour in the hot seats". Liverpool Echo.
24. (12 July 1990). "Tory concern at Labour's choices". Bootle Times.
25. (8 May 1991). "Power struggle triggers Labour feud". Liverpool Echo.
26. (31 December 1999). "Cabinet system comes under fire". Midweek Visiter.
27. "Cabinet minutes, 18 January 2001".
28. "Cabinet Urgent Business Committee minutes, 11 June 2001".
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30. "Council minutes, 26 July 2001".
31. (13 May 2015). "Election Watch: John Pugh clung on - but clouds on the horizon for Southport Lib Dems". Southport Visiter.
32. "Council minutes, 16 May 2002".
33. (11 June 2004). "Shock result". Liverpool Echo.
34. "Council minutes, 24 June 2004".
35. (3 May 2013). "Time for reflection from ex-leader of Maghull Town Council and Sefton Council". Liverpool Echo.
36. "Council minutes, 17 May 2011".
37. (13 May 2015). "Sefton council gets new leader following Peter Dowd Westminster MP move". Southport Visiter.
38. "Council minutes, 21 May 2015".
39. (5 January 2024). "Maher resigns as Sefton leader". Place North West.
40. "Council minutes, 18 January 2024".
41. (4 May 2024). "Local elections 2024: full mayoral and council results for England". The Guardian.
42. "Open Council Data UK - compositions councillors parties wards elections emails".
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46. (21 July 2023). "Council to sell 'surplus' offices which could become flats". Liverpool Echo.
47. "Contact the council".