Sefton Council

Sefton Metropolitan Borough Council
Type
Type	Metropolitan Borough of the Sefton
Leadership
Leader of the Council	Ian Maher, Labour Party
Structure
Seats	66
Joint committees	Liverpool City Region Combined Authority Merseyside Fire and Rescue Authority Merseyside Police and Crime Panel Merseyside Waste Disposal Authority
Elections
Voting system	First past the post
Last election	5 May 2016
Next election	TBC
Meeting place
Bootle Town Hall
Website
sefton.gov.uk

Sefton Council is the governing body for the Metropolitan Borough of Sefton in Merseyside, north-western England. The council was under no overall control from the 1980s until 2012 when the Labour Party took control. It is a constituent council of Liverpool City Region Combined Authority.

It consists of sixty-six councillors, three for each of the borough's twenty-two wards which are as listed:

Elections are usually by thirds, in three of every four years.

Since 2000 the borough has been divided into 22 wards, each returning 3 councillors. This necessitated an election of the whole council in 2000, returning to a system of elections by thirds thereafter.

From 1973 to 2000 the borough was divided into 23 wards, returning 3 councillors each, giving a total of 69 councillors. One third of seats was elected in three out of every four years. Councillors had a four-year term of office, and there were elections to the Merseyside County Council were held in the years in which borough elections were not held until the county council's abolition in 1986.

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.