| Sefton Central | |
|---|---|
| County constituency for the House of Commons | |
 Boundary of Sefton Central in North West England | |
| County | Merseyside |
| Electorate | 74,746 (2023) [1] |
| Major settlements | Crosby and Formby |
| Current constituency | |
| Created | 2010 |
| Member of Parliament | Bill Esterson (Labour) |
| Seats | One |
| Created from | Crosby Knowsley North & Sefton East |
Sefton Central is a constituency represented since its creation in 2010 by Bill Esterson of the Labour Party. [n 1] [n 2]
The constituency was created for the 2010 general election, replacing much of Crosby along with part of Knowsley North and Sefton East.The constituency comprised the following electoral wards of the Metropolitan Borough of Sefton: [2]
Further to the 2023 Periodic Review of Westminster constituencies which came into effect for the 2024 general election, the constituency is composed of the following wards of the Metropolitan Borough of Sefton (as they existed on 1 December 2020):
The Ainsdale ward was transferred from Southport, offset by the loss of the Aintree district in the Molyneux ward to Liverpool Walton.
The constituency covers Merseyside northern residential suburban areas of Crosby, Blundellsands, Brighton-Le-Sands, Little Crosby, Thornton, and Hightown, Formby, Ainsdale, Maghull and the villages and localities of Carr Houses, Freshfield, Ince Blundell, Kennessee Green, Lady Green, Little Altcar, Lunt, Lydiate, Melling, Sefton, and Waddicar, in the Metropolitan Borough of Sefton.
This seat was fought for the first time at the 2010 general election. [4]
At the time, eleven of the constituency's twenty-one councillors were Conservatives followed by the Liberal Democrats who had ten, [n 3] whereas analysis by Rallings and Thrasher indicated that had the Sefton Central constituency existed in 2005, the result would have been: Labour 45.6%, Conservative 33.6%, LibDem 19.2%, giving a Labour majority of 4,950. The Labour Party candidate's majority was 3,862 suggesting a moderate two-party swing. [4]
The area covered by this seat and its immediate predecessor Crosby was historically a strong area for the Conservatives. However, since Labour gained that seat in the 1997 election, they have held it with fairly comfortable margins for 20 years. In 2015, an 8.1% swing to Labour saw them take the area with their biggest ever majority of 11,846 votes (24.2%), [4] in accordance with the significant swing to Labour in Merseyside compared to 2010; this margin was surpassed in 2017, as Labour won more than 60% of the vote in the seat and a majority of over 30% for the first time. This suggests that since 2010, Sefton Central has changed from a key marginal between the major parties to a Labour safe seat.
The constituency has a working population whose income is close to the national average, and close to average reliance on social housing. [5] At the end of 2012, the unemployment rate in the constituency stood as 2.4% of the population claiming Jobseeker's Allowance, compared to the regional average of 4.2%. [6] The borough contributing to the seat has a medium 28.5% of its population without a car, 25.1% of the population without any qualifications and a 24.1% with Level 4 qualifications or above. In terms of tenure, 70.5% of homes are owned outright or on a mortgage as at the 2011 UK Census across the district. [7]
| Election | Member [8] | Party | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | Bill Esterson | Labour | |
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Labour | Bill Esterson | 26,772 | 56.4 | +3.8 | |
| Conservative | Marcus Bleasdale | 8,490 | 17.9 | −16.4 | |
| Reform UK | Nagender Chindam | 5,767 | 12.2 | +8.6 | |
| Green | Kieran Dams | 3,294 | 6.9 | +4.8 | |
| Liberal Democrats | Gareth Lloyd-Johnson | 2,630 | 5.5 | −1.1 | |
| Independent | Ralph James | 496 | 1.0 | N/A | |
| Majority | 18,282 | 38.5 | +20.3 | ||
| Turnout | 47,449 | 63.9 | −12.5 | ||
| Labour hold | Swing | +10.1 | |||
Changes are from the notional 2019 results on the 2024 boundaries. [11]
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Labour | Bill Esterson | 29,254 | 57.5 | –5.5 | |
| Conservative | Wazz Mughal | 14,132 | 27.8 | –5.2 | |
| Liberal Democrats | Keith Cawdron | 3,386 | 6.7 | +4.0 | |
| Brexit Party | Paul Lomas | 2,425 | 4.8 | New | |
| Green | Alison Gibbon | 1,261 | 2.5 | +1.2 | |
| Liberal | Angela Preston | 285 | 0.6 | New | |
| Renew | Carla Burns | 137 | 0.3 | New | |
| Majority | 15,122 | 29.7 | –0.3 | ||
| Turnout | 50,880 | 72.9 | –2.6 | ||
| Labour hold | Swing | –0.1 | |||
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Labour | Bill Esterson | 32,830 | 63.0 | +9.2 | |
| Conservative | Jade Marsden | 17,212 | 33.0 | +3.4 | |
| Liberal Democrats | Daniel Lewis | 1,381 | 2.7 | –1.6 | |
| Green | Mike Carter | 656 | 1.3 | –1.1 | |
| Majority | 15,618 | 30.0 | +5.8 | ||
| Turnout | 52,079 | 75.5 | +3.1 | ||
| Labour hold | Swing | +2.9 | |||
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Labour | Bill Esterson | 26,359 | 53.8 | +11.9 | |
| Conservative | Valerie Allen | 14,513 | 29.6 | –4.3 | |
| UKIP | Tim Power | 4,879 | 10.0 | +5.8 | |
| Liberal Democrats | Paula Keaveney | 2,086 | 4.3 | –15.6 | |
| Green | Lindsay Melia | 1,184 | 2.4 | New | |
| Majority | 11,846 | 24.2 | +16.2 | ||
| Turnout | 49,021 | 72.4 | +0.6 | ||
| Labour hold | Swing | +8.1 | |||
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Labour | Bill Esterson | 20,307 | 41.9 | –3.7 | |
| Conservative | Debi Jones | 16,445 | 33.9 | +0.4 | |
| Liberal Democrats | Richard Clein | 9,656 | 19.9 | +0.7 | |
| UKIP | Peter Harper | 2,055 | 4.2 | +3.5 | |
| Majority | 3,862 | 8.0 | −4.1 | ||
| Turnout | 48,463 | 71.8 | +11.0 | ||
| Labour hold | Swing | +2.0 | |||
The Metropolitan Borough of Sefton is a metropolitan borough of Merseyside, England. It was formed on 1 April 1974, 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.
Crosby is a coastal town in the Metropolitan Borough of Sefton, Merseyside, England. Historically in Lancashire, it is north of Bootle, south of Southport and Formby, and west of Netherton. It abuts the areas of Blundellsands to the north and Waterloo to the south. It is approximately 6 miles (9.6 km) north of Liverpool City Centre.
Waterloo is an area of the Metropolitan Borough of Sefton, in Merseyside, England. Along with Seaforth the two localities make up the Sefton Ward of Church. The area is bordered by Crosby to the north, Seaforth to the south, the Rimrose Valley country park to the east, and to the west the Crosby Beach and Crosby Coastal Park.
Freshfield is an area of Formby, in the Metropolitan Borough of Sefton, Merseyside, England, situated at the northern end of the town. It has no local political distinction or representation and is included as part of the two council wards which make up Formby, nor is it any longer separated in a physical sense from the town.
Thornton is a village in the Metropolitan Borough of Sefton, in Merseyside, England. Within the boundaries of the historic county of Lancashire and situated to the north east of Crosby, it is a residential area of semi-detached and detached housing which dates mainly from the 1930s. Many of the houses, particularly those around Edge Lane and Water Street, feature notably long gardens. The A565 Liverpool-Southport road serves the area. At the 2001 Census the population of the village and civil parish was recorded as 2,262, falling to 2,139 at the Census 2011.
Bootle is a constituency which has been represented in the House of Commons of the UK Parliament, since 2015 by Peter Dowd of the Labour Party.
Crosby was a constituency in Merseyside, represented in the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom from 1950 until 2010. It elected one Member of Parliament (MP) by the first past the post system of election.
Knowsley North and Sefton East was a county constituency represented in the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. It elected one Member of Parliament (MP) by the first past the post system of election.
Liverpool Walton is a constituency represented in the House of Commons of the UK Parliament since 2017 by Dan Carden of the Labour Party. Carden won the highest percentage share of the vote in June 2017 of 650 constituencies, 85.7%.
Liverpool Wavertree is a borough constituency of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. It was created in 1997 and every election since has been won by a Labour Party candidate. It has been represented by Paula Barker since 2019.
Southport is a constituency in Merseyside which has been represented in the House of Commons of the UK Parliament since 2024 by Patrick Hurley of the Labour Party.
Bristol North West is a constituency represented in the House of Commons of the UK Parliament since 2017 by Darren Jones of the Labour Party.
Harrow West is a constituency in Greater London created in 1945 and represented in the House of Commons of the UK Parliament. Until 1997, it only returned Conservative MPs; since then, it has elected the Labour Co-operative MP Gareth Thomas on a fluctuating majority. Since 2010, this has been bolstered by the loss of Pinner from the seat and the gain of a favourable ward for Labour from Harrow East.
Central Devon is a constituency represented in the House of Commons of the UK Parliament since 2010 by Mel Stride of the Conservative Party.
Sefton Council, or Sefton Metropolitan Borough Council, is the local authority of the Metropolitan Borough of Sefton in Merseyside, England. It is a metropolitan borough council and provides the majority of local government services in the borough. The council has been a member of the Liverpool City Region Combined Authority since 2014.
Brighton-le-Sands is an area of Merseyside, England, in the borough of Sefton. It is located close to Crosby, situated between Blundellsands to the north, Waterloo to the south and Great Crosby to the east.
The 2019 Sefton Metropolitan Borough Council election took place on 2 May 2019 to elect members of Sefton Metropolitan Borough Council in England. It was held on the same day as other local elections.
The 2021 Sefton Metropolitan Borough Council election took place on 6 May 2021 to elect members of Sefton Council in England. This was on the same day as other local elections. One-third of the seats were up for election, with two wards electing two councillors.
