| Office: | Leader of Halton Council |
| Term Start: | 11 May 2021 |
| Predecessor: | Rob Polhill |
| Party: | Labour Party |
| Term Label2: | Assumed Role |
| Termstart2: | July 2024 |
| Honorific Prefix: | Cllr |
| Preceded2: | David Baines |
| Office2: | Deputy Mayor of the Liverpool City Region |
Mike Wharton is a British Labour Party politician, currently serving as the leader of Halton Borough Council and deputy mayor of the Liverpool City Region Combined Authority.
Wharton was first elected to Halton Borough Council in 2002 for the ward of Hale Village.[1] Around 2006, Wharton was given the Halton Borough Council portfolio for resources, which placed him in charge of producing the council's annual budget. Four years later, he became the deputy leader of the council. In 2021, during the COVID-19 pandemic, he was elected as the leader of the council after his predecessor, Rob Polhill, stepped down. he won re-election for his ward in 2024[2]
In 2023 Wharton hit out at the UK Government after Halton Council was forced to close a number of supporting services for children in Halton due to a lack of funding, Wharton was on record in the council meeting saying that the funding of local authorities was not a priority for the government, Wharton further went on to blame the disorder and turmoil in Downing Street and the governments record for helping councils as the reasons for this decision.[3]
As leader of Halton Borough Council, Wharton also serves on the Liverpool City Region Combined Authority cabinet. He had been responsible for culture, tourism and the visitor economy until 2023 when he became the cabinet member for economic development and business prior to this he served as cabinet member for Culture, Tourism & The Visitor Economy.[4] In 2024, the Mayor of the Liverpool City Region, Steve Rotheram, announced that Wharton would become deputy mayor of the city region,[5] taking over from David Baines, the leader of St Helens Borough Council, who was elected to Parliament in the 2024 General Election and stepped down from his local government roles.[6]
As Liverpool City Region Cabinet Member for Business, Investment and Trade, Wharton stated in 2024 that he is "Determined to accelerate inward investment and boost international trade" in the Liverpool City Region. Wharton also assisted with the creation and selection of members for the Liverpool City Region Combined Authority Business and Enterprise Board which in 2023 absorbed the powers and role of Liverpool City Region Local enterprise partnership and was made a part of the combined authority.[7]