History
The non-metropolitan district of Halton and its council were created on 1 April 1974 under the Local Government Act 1972, covering the whole area of two former districts and parts of another two, all of which were abolished at the same time: [5]
Widnes and Hale, north of the River Mersey, had been in Lancashire prior to the reforms. The new borough was named Halton after the medieval Barony of Halton which had been centred on Halton Castle in Runcorn, but had included land on both sides of the Mersey. [6] [7]
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 district and its council formally came into being on 1 April 1974, at which point the old districts and their councils were abolished. [8] The district was awarded borough status from its creation, allowing the chair of the council to take the title of mayor. [9]
From 1974 until 1998, Halton Borough Council was a lower-tier authority providing district-level services, with Cheshire County Council providing county-level services. In 1998, Halton gained responsibility for county-level services. The way this change was implemented was to create a new non-metropolitan county of Halton covering the same area as the existing borough, but with no separate county council; instead the existing borough council took on county functions, making it a unitary authority. [10]
The borough remains part of the ceremonial county of Cheshire for the purposes of lieutenancy and shrievalty. [11] It also continues to be served by Cheshire Police and the Cheshire Fire and Rescue Service.
Since 2014 the council has been a member of the Liverpool City Region Combined Authority, which also includes the local authorities of Knowsley, Liverpool, St Helens, Sefton and Wirral; the five metropolitan district councils which constitute the county of Merseyside. As a unitary authority, Halton's status is similar to the metropolitan district councils. [12] The combined authority 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 Halton Borough Council continues to be responsible for most local government functions. [13] [14]
Governance
Halton Borough Council provides both district-level and county-level functions. Some strategic functions in the area are provided by the Liverpool City Region Combined Authority; the leader of Halton Borough Council sits on the combined authority as Halton's representative. [15] Parts of the borough are covered by civil parishes, which form an additional tier of local government for their areas. [16]
Political control
The council has been under Labour majority control since its creation in 1974. [17] [18] [19]
Lower tier non-metropolitan district
| Party in control | Years |
|---|
| Labour | 1974–1998 |
Unitary authority
| Party in control | Years |
|---|
| Labour | 1998–present |
Leadership
The role of mayor is largely ceremonial in Halton. Political leadership is provided by the leader of the council. The first leader, John Collins, had been the last leader of Widnes Borough Council, one of the council's predecessors. The leaders since 1974 have been: [20]
Composition
The last election was in 2024. [25] In May 2025, the council's sole Conservative councillor, Siân Davidson, defected to Reform UK. [26]
The next election is due in May 2026.
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