Metropolitan Borough of Sefton explained

Borough of Sefton
Settlement Type:Metropolitan borough
Coordinates:53.445°N -2.998°W
Subdivision Type:Sovereign state
Subdivision Name:United Kingdom
Subdivision Type1:Country
Subdivision Name1:England
Subdivision Type2:Region
Subdivision Name2:North West
Subdivision Type3:Ceremonial county
Subdivision Name3:Merseyside
Subdivision Type4:City region
Subdivision Name4:Liverpool
Established Title:Incorporated
Established Date:1 April 1974
Named For:Sefton
Seat Type:Administrative HQ
Seat:Bootle and Southport
Government Footnotes:[1]
Government Type:Metropolitan borough
Governing Body:Sefton Council
Leader Title:Executive
Leader Name:Leader and cabinet
Leader Title1:Control
Leader Title2:Leader
Leader Name2:Marion Atkinson (L)
Leader Title3:Mayor
Leader Name3:June Burns
Leader Title4:MPs
Unit Pref:Metric
Area Total Km2:203
Area Rank:
Population Rank:
Demographics Type1:Ethnicity (2021)
Demographics1 Title1:Ethnic groups
Demographics Type2:Religion (2021)
Demographics2 Title1:Religion
Timezone1:GMT
Utc Offset1:+0
Timezone1 Dst:BST
Utc Offset1 Dst:+1
Postal Code Type:Postcode areas
Area Code Type:Dialling codes
Iso Code:GB-SFT
Blank1 Name:GSS code
Blank1 Info:E08000014

The Metropolitan Borough of Sefton is a metropolitan borough of Merseyside, England. It was formed on 1 April 1974,[2] by the amalgamation of the county boroughs of Bootle and Southport, the municipal borough of Crosby, the urban districts of Formby and Litherland, and part of West Lancashire Rural District. It consists of a coastal strip of land on the Irish Sea which extends from Southport in the north to Bootle in the south, and an inland part to Maghull in the south-east, bounded by the city of Liverpool to the south, the Metropolitan Borough of Knowsley to the south-east, and West Lancashire to the east.

It is named after Sefton, near Maghull. When the borough was created, a name was sought that would not unduly identify the borough with any of its constituent parts, particularly the former county boroughs of Bootle and Southport. The area had strong links with both the Earl of Sefton and the Earl of Derby, resident of Knowsley Hall, and the adjacent borough was subsequently named Knowsley. A Sefton Rural District covering some of the villages in the district existed from 1894 to 1932.[3]

Governance

Liverpool City Region Combined Authority

The Metropolitan Borough of Sefton is one of the six constituent local government districts of the Liverpool City Region. Since 1 April 2014, some of the borough's responsibilities have been pooled with neighbouring authorities within the metropolitan area and subsumed into the Liverpool City Region Combined Authority.[4]

The combined authority has effectively become the top-tier administrative body for the local governance of the city region and the leader of Sefton Council, along with the five other leaders from neighbouring local government districts, take strategic decisions over economic development, transport, employment and skills, tourism, culture, housing and physical infrastructure.[4]

In July 2015, negotiations took place between the UK national government and the combined authority over a possible devolution deal to confer greater powers on the region, including whether to introduce an elected 'Metro Mayor' to oversee the entire metropolitan area.[5]

Historic controversy

The existence of Sefton has been an ongoing local controversy, especially in Southport, where local Members of Parliament (MPs) and councillors have campaigned for separation from Bootle and the possible inclusion of the town as a district in the non-metropolitan county of Lancashire.[6] It was highlighted after the 2012 local government election that different regions in Sefton had vastly different socio-economic backgrounds and needs. There are high levels of poverty around the Bootle area and central Southport.[7]

Sefton Council composition

The council has 66 councillors, three for each of the borough's 22 wards:

, the council is composed of 41 Labour councillors, 12 for The Liberal Democrat and Progressive Alliance Group, six Conservatives, and five for The Independents Group. There are two vacancies.[8]

Economy

The borough has a strong income from tourism, most of whom visit the Aintree Grand National, the most valuable horse race in Europe, Anthony Gormley's Another Place at Crosby Beach and Southport. Birkdale is also home to the Royal Birkdale Golf Club which has played host to the Open Championship, Ryder Cup, Walker Cup and Curtis Cup.[9]

This is a chart of trend of regional gross value added of Sefton at current basic prices published (pp. 240–53) by Office for National Statistics with figures in millions of British Pounds Sterling.

Year Regional gross value added Agriculture Industry Services
1995 2,079 20 496 1,563
2000 2,500 8 468 2,024
2003 2,994 10 418 2,566

Components may not sum to totals due to rounding includes hunting and forestry includes energy and construction includes financial intermediation services indirectly measured

Demographics

Ethnicity

Ethnic Group2001[10] 2011[11]
Number%Number%
White: British 273,53696.67% 259,62994.83%
White: Irish 2,6650.94% 2,3120.84%
White: Gypsy or Irish Traveller 1200.04%
White: Other 2,3390.83% 4,6801.71%
White: Total 278,540 98.44% 266,741 97.43%
Asian or Asian British: Indian 6040.21% 6660.24%
Asian or Asian British: Pakistani 1810.06% 1270.04%
Asian or Asian British: Bangladeshi 2570.09% 3080.11%
Asian or Asian British: Chinese 9030.32% 9650.35%
Asian or Asian British: Other Asian 1730.06% 6530.24%
Asian or Asian British: Total 2,118 0.75% 2,719 0.99%
Black or Black British: African 2040.07% 4640.17%
Black or Black British: Caribbean 1730.06% 2230.08%
Black or Black British: Other Black 610.02% 1090.04%
Black or Black British: Total 438 0.15% 796 0.29%
Mixed: White and Black Caribbean 4760.17% 8300.30%
Mixed: White and Black African 2340.08% 4880.18%
Mixed: White and Asian 4410.16% 7600.28%
Mixed: Other Mixed 4330.15% 7420.27%
Mixed: Total 1,584 0.56% 2,820 1.03%
Other: Arab 3270.12%
Other: Any other ethnic group 3870.14%
Other: Total 278 0.10% 714 0.26%
Black, Asian, and minority ethnic: Total 4,418 1.56% 7,049 2.57%
Total 282,958 100.00% 273,790 100.00%

Main languages

At the 2011 census, there were 265,010 usual residents of Sefton aged 3 or over whose main language was declared. The 10 most common main languages were as follows:[12]

  1. English 259,820 (98.04%)
  2. Polish 1,579 (0.62%)
  3. Chinese 415 (0.16%)
  4. Portuguese 318 (0.12%)
  5. Latvian 252 (0.10%)
  6. Spanish 201 (0.08%)
  7. Lithuania 190 (0.07%)
  8. Arabic 158 (0.06%)
  9. Bengali (with Sylheti and Chittagonian) 142 (0.05%)
  10. Turkish 141 (0.05%)

1,794 (0.68%) usual residents over the age of 3 had a different main language to the above languages.

Towns and villages in Sefton

Parliamentary constituencies

See also: List of Parliamentary constituencies on Merseyside.

Sister cities

Sefton is twinned with:[13]

Freedom of the Borough

The following people, military units and Organisations and Groups have received the Freedom of the Borough of Sefton.

Individuals

Military units

Organisations and groups

Media

In terms of television, the area is served by BBC North West and ITV Granada broadcasting from the Winter Hill transmitter.[20]

The borough is served by both BBC Radio Merseyside and BBC Radio Lancashire. Other radio stations including Heart North West, Smooth North West, Dune Radio, Radio City, Rock FM, Greatest Hits Radio Liverpool & The North West and Greatest Hits Radio Lancashire.

The area is served by the regional newspapers the Lancashire Telegraph and the Liverpool Echo. Other local newspapers are The Southport Visiter and Southport Reporter.

See also

External links

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Your Council . Sefton Council . 27 November 2023 . 15 December 2023.
  2. Book: Local Government Act 1972. 1972 c.70. The Stationery Office Ltd. 0-10-547072-4. 1997.
  3. Web site: Sefton RD through time: Relationships and changes. A Vision of Britain through Time. GB Historical GIS / University of Portsmouth. 11 January 2018.
  4. Web site: Proposal to establish a combined authority for Greater Merseyside . . November 2013 . 8 December 2013 .
  5. Web site: Liam Murphy. Liverpool city region to decide on devolution demands by end of summer. 22 July 2015. 26 July 2015.
  6. Final Recommendations on the Future Local Government of Sefton, Local Government Commission for England, November 1997.
  7. Web site: Sefton Local Economic Assessment. May 2011. Invest Sefton. 28 November 2015.
  8. Web site: Council. Sefton. 2021-04-23. Councillors, Meetings, Decisions. 2021-04-26. www.sefton.gov.uk.
  9. Web site: Royal Birkdale Golf Club – Club History . 9 July 2012.
  10. Web site: UV009 - Ethnic group . NOMIS . 1 September 2022.
  11. Web site: QS201EW - Ethnic group . NOMIS . 1 September 2022.
  12. Web site: Sefton - UK Census Data 2011 .
  13. https://www.sefton.gov.uk/your-council/the-mayor/twinning-with-towns-and-cities.aspx Sefton Council, Twinning with Towns and Cities
  14. Web site: Gdańsk Official Website: 'Miasta partnerskie' . www.gdansk.pl . Urząd Miejski w Gdańsku] . pl, en . 17 May 2016 . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20130723091807/http://www.gdansk.pl/samorzad%2C62%2C733.html . 23 July 2013 .
  15. Web site: Lioness Alex Greenwood becomes first ever woman to be awarded Freedom of Sefton . Dukes . Emma . 19 November 2022 . The Liverpool World . 20 November 2022 .
  16. Web site: Honorary Freedom of the Borough. Sefton. Council. 21 June 2017. Government of the United Kingdom.
  17. Web site: Freedom of the Borough for HMS Mersey . 14 December 2016 . https://web.archive.org/web/20161221023746/https://sefton.gov.uk/news/freedom-of-the-borough-for-hms-mersey.aspx . 21 December 2016 . dead.
  18. Web site: Regiment set to march through Bootle.
  19. Web site: Covid: Merseyside hospitals honoured over Covid response . BBC News . 1 July 2021 . 2021-05-27.
  20. Web site: Full Freeview on the Winter Hill (Bolton, England) transmitter . May 2004 . UK Free TV . 21 April 2024.