Sefton Metropolitan Borough Council

Sefton Council is the governing body for the Metropolitan Borough of Sefton in Merseyside, north-western England. The council has been under no overall control since the 1980s and is run as an all party coalition of the Liberal Democrats, the Labour Party and the Conservative Party, It consists of sixty-six councillors, three for each of the borough's twenty-two wards which are as listed:

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

Political makeup

Elections are usually by thirds, in three of every four years. Since the 2011 Local Elections, shown below, the Conservative Party have seen the defection of one member to the UK Independence Party as well as four members now sitting as Conservative Independents.

History

Sefton Council was created by the local government reorganisation of 1974, which created a two-tier system of government in the United Kingdom. It was a metropolitan district of the metropolitan county of Merseyside. Until 1986, the five metropolitan borough councils of Merseyside shared power with the central Merseyside County Council, but this was later abolished and its functions devolved solely to its districts. As a result, the borough is effectively a unitary authority within the ceremonial county of Merseyside.

Sefton Council is not directly responsible for transport, waste-disposal and emergency services - these are administered by joint-boards of the five boroughs of Merseyside.

External links

• Sefton Council
• Latest election results, May 2006
• Southport Conservative Party
• Sefton Central Conservative Party
• Sefton Labour Party
• Southport Liberal Democrats
• Crosby Liberal Democrats