Merseyside
Merseyside | |
---|---|
UTC±00:00 (Greenwich Mean Time) | |
• Summer (DST) | UTC+01:00 (British Summer Time) |
Members of Parliament |
9th of 48 |
Density | 2,200/km2 (5,700/sq mi) |
Metropolitan county | |
GSS code | E11000002 |
Districts | |
Districts of Merseyside | |
Districts |
Merseyside (/ˈmɜːrzisaɪd/ MUR-zee-syde) is a ceremonial and metropolitan county in North West England. It borders Lancashire to the north, Greater Manchester to the east, Cheshire to the south, the Welsh county of Flintshire across the Dee Estuary to the southwest, and the Irish Sea to the west. The largest settlement is the city of Liverpool.
The county is highly urbanised, with an area of 249 square miles (645 km2) and a population of 1.42 million.
What is now Merseyside was a largely rural area until the
Merseyside is notable for its sport, music, and cultural institutions. The
History
Merseyside was designated as a "Special Review" area in the
Instead, a
The Redcliffe-Maud Report was rejected by the incoming
Merseyside was created on 1 April 1974 from areas previously part of the administrative counties of Lancashire and Cheshire, along with the county boroughs of Birkenhead, Wallasey, Liverpool, Bootle, and St Helens. Following the creation of Merseyside, Merseytravel expanded to take in St Helens and Southport.
post-1974 | pre-1974 | ||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Metropolitan county | Metropolitan borough | County boroughs | Non-county boroughs | Urban districts | Rural districts |
Merseyside is an amalgamation of 22 former local government districts, including six county boroughs and two municipal boroughs.
|
Knowsley | Huyton with Roby • Kirkby • Prescot | West Lancashire • Whiston | ||
Liverpool | Liverpool | ||||
Sefton | Southport
|
Crosby | Litherland
|
West Lancashire | |
St Helens | St Helens
|
Whiston | |||
Wirral | Wallasey
|
Bebington | Hoylake • Wirral |
Between 1974 and 1986 the county had a two-tier system of local government with the five boroughs sharing power with the Merseyside County Council. In 1986 the government of Margaret Thatcher abolished the county council along with all other metropolitan county councils, and so its boroughs are now effectively unitary authorities.
Geography
Merseyside is divided into two parts by the Mersey estuary; the Wirral is on the west side of the estuary, upon the Wirral Peninsula, and the rest of the county lies on the east side. The eastern part of Merseyside borders onto Lancashire to the north and Greater Manchester to the east, with both parts of the county bordering Cheshire to the south. The territory comprising the county of Merseyside previously formed part of the administrative counties of Lancashire (east of the River Mersey) and Cheshire (west of the River Mersey). The two parts are linked by the two Mersey Tunnels, the Wirral line of Merseyrail, and the Mersey Ferry.
Green belt
Merseyside contains green belt interspersed throughout the county, surrounding the Liverpool urban area, as well as across the Mersey in the Wirral area, with further pockets extending towards and surrounding Southport, as part of the western edge of the North West Green Belt. It was first drawn up from the 1950s. All the county's districts contain some portion of belt.
Demography
District | Land area | Population | Density (/km2) | ||
---|---|---|---|---|---|
(km2) | (%) | People | (%) | ||
Knowsley | 86.5 | 13% | 154,974 | 11% | 1,792 |
Liverpool | 111.8 | 17% | 484,488 | 34% | 4,332 |
St Helens | 136.4 | 21% | 183,391 | 13% | 1,345 |
Sefton | 156.6 | 24% | 279,692 | 20% | 1,786 |
Wirral | 160.9 | 25% | 320,600 | 23% | 1,992 |
Merseyside | 652.2 | 100% | 1,423,145 | 100% | 2,182 |
Identity
Ipsos MORI polls in the boroughs of Sefton and Wirral in the 2000s showed that in general, residents of these boroughs identified slightly more strongly to Merseyside than to Lancashire or Cheshire respectively, but their affinity to Merseyside was more likely to be "fairly strong" than "very strong".[3]
Local government
Metropolitan boroughs
Merseyside comprises the metropolitan boroughs of Liverpool, Knowsley, Sefton, St Helens and Wirral.
County-level functions
Following the abolition of the county council, some local services are run by joint-boards of the five metropolitan boroughs; these include the:
- Merseyside Police and Crime Commissioner and Merseyside Police
- Merseyside Fire and Rescue Service
- Merseyside Recycling and Waste Authority
- Merseyside Pension Scheme, administered by Wirral Council, with offices in Liverpool[citation needed]
Combined authority
The Liverpool City Region Combined Authority, which includes the five boroughs of Merseyside and the Borough of Halton in Cheshire, oversees transport, economic development and regeneration.[4] The combined authority is chaired by a Metro Mayor, Steve Rotheram, who was elected in 2017 and re-elected in 2021.[5]
Local health system
The planning and commissioning of care within Merseyside is the responsibility of NHS Cheshire and Merseyside Integrated Care Service (ICS), which covers NHS and other care services within the Cheshire and Merseyside area.[6] NHS Cheshire and Merseyside serves a combined population of 2.7 million people, with some 17 NHS trusts, 349 GP practices, and 590 pharmacies under its control.
Economy
District | GVA (£ billions) |
GVA per capita (£) |
GDP (£ billions) |
GDP per capita (£) |
---|---|---|---|---|
Knowsley | £4.0 | £25,927 | £4.6 | £29,407 |
Liverpool | £14.3 | £29,489 | £15.9 | £32,841 |
St Helens | £2.8 | £15,448 | £3.4 | £18,803 |
Sefton | £4.6 | £16,275 | £5.4 | £19,418 |
Wirral | £5.6 | £17,527 | £6.6 | £20,688 |
Merseyside | £31.3 | £22,000 | £36.0 | £25,281 |
Transport
Road
Merseyside is served by six motorways: the M58 to the north, M56 to the south, M6 & M62 to the east and M53 to the west. The M57 acts as an outer ring road and bypass for the city of Liverpool itself. The River Mersey is crossed by Queensway Tunnel and Kingsway Tunnel, which link Liverpool to Birkenhead and Wallasey respectively, and by the Silver Jubilee Bridge and Mersey Gateway Bridge, which link Runcorn and Widnes. The Mersey Gateway Bridge opened in 2017 and is designed to improve transport links between Widnes and Runcorn and other key locations in the vicinity.[8]
National Cycle Route 56 and National Cycle Route 62 pass through the region, the former along the Wirral and the latter from Southport to Runcorn.[9][10] Major bus companies are Stagecoach Merseyside and Arriva North West. Liverpool One bus station serves as a terminus for national coach travel.
Rail
Maritime
Liverpool Cruise Terminal provides facilities for long-distance passenger cruises. Fred. Olsen Cruise Lines MS Black Watch and Cruise & Maritime Voyages MS Magellan use the terminal to depart to Iceland, France, Spain and Norway. Peel Ports have also planned a second cruise terminal as part of the Liverpool Waters project.[18][19]
Ferries
Prince's Landing Stage on Liverpool's Pier Head serves Isle of Man Steam Packet Company summer service to the Isle of Man (and Mersey Ferries). The Twelve Quays ferry port in Birkenhead serves winter Isle of Man ferry service and Stena Line services to Belfast, Northern Ireland. Almost three quarters of a million people[citation needed] travel these Irish Sea ferry services.[20][21]
The
Commercial
The
The Port of Liverpool is a container port that handles over 33 million tonnes of freight cargo per year[citation needed] and serves more than 100 global destinations including Africa, Australia, China, India, the Middle East and South America. Imports include grain and animal feed, timber, steel, coal, cocoa, crude oil, edible oils and liquid chemicals; there are exports of scrap metal for recycling.[23][24] A second container terminal, Liverpool2 at Seaforth, can handle Post-Panamax vessels and doubled the port's capacity when it opened in 2016.[25]
Air
Liverpool John Lennon Airport is the county's international airport. It is in Speke, 6.5 miles (10.5 km) southeast of Liverpool city centre, with 5 million departures in 2020.[26] Flights are primarily operated by easyJet and Ryanair, and over 70 destinations are served by the airport, including regular flights to the Near East and North Africa.[27][28][29]
The airport is planning substantial expansion, and is forecast to handle more than 12 million passengers by 2030, as well as targeting permanent direct long haul flights and significantly larger terminal facilities.[30]
Sport
Merseyside is host to several football league football clubs including Everton F.C., Liverpool F.C. and Tranmere Rovers F.C. and several non-league football clubs including Marine A.F.C. and Southport F.C. Golf courses include Royal Liverpool Golf Club, Royal Birkdale Golf Club, Hillside Golf Club and Southport and Ainsdale Golf Club. Cricket clubs include the historic Aigburth Cricket Ground. Aintree Motor Racing Circuit hosted the British Grand Prix biennially between 1955 and 1961, and finally in 1962.[31] Aintree Racecourse hosts the Grand National and there is also Haydock Park Racecourse. Totally Wicked Stadium hosts Rugby League and Hoylake hosts sailing (such as the Southport 24 Hour Race) and is Britain's premier location for sand yachting. A ski slope facility is found at The Oval (Wirral).
Places of interest
Liverpool
- Albert Dock
- Anfield (Liverpool F.C. Stadium)
- The Beatles Story Museum Liverpool at Albert Dock
- The Cavern Club
- Chinatown, Liverpool
- Church of St Luke, Liverpool
- Croxteth Hall
- Everton Stadium
- Gambier Terrace
- Goodison Park (Everton F.C. Stadium)
- HM Customs & Excise National Museum
- International Slavery Museum
- Anglican)
- Liverpool Empire Theatre
- Liverpool John Lennon Airport
- Liverpool Town Hall
- Roman Catholic)
- Merseyside Maritime Museum
- Mersey Tunnels – Queensway and Kingsway
- Museum of Liverpool
- Pier Head
- Philharmonic Dining Rooms
- Philharmonic Hall, Liverpool
- Royal Liver Building
- Sefton Park
- National Trust
- St George's Hall
- Tate Gallery
- Walker Art Gallery
- Western Approaches Museum
- World Museum Liverpool
Knowsley
St Helens
- The Dream
- Haydock Park Racecourse
- Langtree Park (St HelensStadium)
- North West Museum of Road Transport
- World of Glass[32]
Sefton
- Aintree Racecourse – Home of the Grand National
- Atkinson Art Gallery and Library and Southport Arts Centre
- Bootle Town Hall – Captain Frederic John Walker exhibits
- British Lawnmower Museum, Southport
- Crosby Beach – Another Place (sculpture) by Antony Gormley
- Formby
- Haig Avenue – Southport F.C.
- Hesketh Park, Southport
- Hugh Baird College
- Lord Street, Southport
- Maghull – Home of Frank Hornby
- Marine A.F.C., Crosby
- Marshside RSPB reserve
- Meols Hall
- Pleasureland Southport
- RAF Woodvale
- Country Park
- Royal Birkdale Golf Club
- Seaforth Dock
- SSSI
- Southport Botanic Gardens
- Southport Flower Show
- Southport Pier
- Listed Building
Wirral
- Bidston Hill and Bidston Windmill
- Birkenhead Park
- Birkenhead Priory
- Fort Perch Rock
- Hamilton Square
- Hilbre Island
- Lady Lever Art Gallery
- Leasowe Castle and Leasowe Lighthouse
- North Wirral Coastal Park
- Port Sunlight
- Prenton Park (Tranmere Rovers F.C. Stadium)
- Royal Liverpool Golf Club
- Williamson Art Gallery and Museum
- Wirral Country Park
See also
- 1911 Liverpool general transport strike
- List of commemorative plaques in Merseyside
- List of drill halls in Merseyside
- List of High Sheriffs of Merseyside
- List of Lord Lieutenants of Merseyside
- List of Sites of Special Scientific Interest in Merseyside
- Scheduled monuments in Merseyside
- Merseyside derby
Notes
References
- ^ "2009 Mid Year Estimates – Table 9 ONS". statistics.gov.uk. Archived from the original on 16 December 2008. Retrieved 9 September 2010.
- ^ "Mid-Year Population Estimates, UK, June 2021". Office for National Statistics. 21 December 2022. Retrieved 18 October 2023.
- ^ Sefton poll Archived 26 September 2006 at the Wayback Machine, where 51% residents belonged strongly to Merseyside, and compared with 35% to Lancashire; Wirral poll Archived 26 September 2006 at the Wayback Machine, where 45% of residents belonged strongly to Merseyside; compared with 30% to Cheshire. In both boroughs, "very strongly" ratings for the historic county were larger than that for Merseyside, but "fairly strongly" was lower.
- ^ Wiggins, Kaye (12 August 2013). "Merseyside combined authority plans outlined". Local Government Chronicle. Retrieved 19 April 2024.
- ^ "Liverpool city region metro mayor: what is it, when will we get one and who will it be?". Liverpool Echo. 18 May 2016. Archived from the original on 23 July 2016. Retrieved 16 July 2016.
- ^ "Constitution". NHS Cheshire and Merseyside. Retrieved 9 December 2023.
- ^ Fenton, Trevor (25 April 2023). "Regional gross domestic product: local authorities". Office for National Statistics. Retrieved 13 December 2023.
- ^ "Halton Council: Runcorn & Widnes Communications". Archived from the original on 15 October 2011. Retrieved 10 May 2012.
- ^ "Route 56 – Sustrans.org.uk". Sustrans. Retrieved 20 June 2023.
- ^ "Route 62". Sustrans. Retrieved 20 June 2023.
- ^ a b Office of Rail and Road (24 November 2022). "Estimates of station usage: 1 April 2021 to 31 March 2022" (PDF). dataportal.orr.gov.uk. p. 4. Retrieved 20 June 2023.
- ^ "railway-technology.com: Liverpool Lime Street Station, United Kingdom". Retrieved 9 May 2012.
- ^ "redspottedhanky.com: Stations Overview: Liverpool Lime Street". Retrieved 9 May 2012.
- ^ "Stations". www.merseyrail.org. Retrieved 20 June 2023.
- ^ "Transport Committee: Written evidence from Merseytravel (CTR 09)". 31 October 2011. Retrieved 9 May 2012.
- ^ "transportweb.com: Merseyrail Electrics". Retrieved 9 May 2012.
- ^ "Network Map". www.merseyrail.org. Retrieved 20 June 2023.
- ^ "BBC Liverpool: Liverpool cruise liner terminal opening set for May". BBC News. 2 March 2012. Retrieved 9 May 2012.
- ^ "Liverpool Confidential: Second Mersey cruise terminal planned". 30 January 2012. Archived from the original on 12 September 2012. Retrieved 9 May 2012.
- ^ "Direct Ferries Ltd: How To Get To Liverpool Ferry Port". Retrieved 9 May 2012.
- ^ "parliament.uk: Written evidence from Blundellsands Sailing Club (MCA 53)". February 2011. Retrieved 9 May 2012.
- ^ "Merseytravel: Annual Statistical Monitor 2009/10" (PDF). 2009–2010. Archived from the original (PDF) on 19 April 2014. Retrieved 9 May 2012.
- ^ "Peel Ports: Port of Liverpool". 2010. Archived from the original on 13 April 2012. Retrieved 9 May 2012.
- ^ "Port of Liverpool Introduction". 2010. Retrieved 9 May 2012.
- ^ "Liverpool Port Terminal Work to Begin Next Year". 6 March 2012. Retrieved 9 May 2012.
- ^ "Arrivals and departures at Liverpool John Lennon Airport 2020". Statista. Retrieved 20 June 2023.
- ^ "Liverpool John Lennon airport provides key tourism gateway". 29 June 2011. Retrieved 10 May 2012.
- ^ "Ryanair's New Routes from JLA Take Off In Style". Archived from the original on 4 September 2012. Retrieved 10 May 2012.
- ^ "Liverpool John Lennon Airport Destination Map". Retrieved 10 May 2012.
- ^ "Liverpool John Lennon Airport Master Plan". Retrieved 10 May 2012.
- ^ "Aintree Circuit :: Liverpool Motor Club". web.archive.org. 10 March 2024. Retrieved 25 March 2024.
- ^ "Art Galleries – Museum – Glass Blowing- Victorian Furnace". The World of Glass. Archived from the original on 8 December 2015. Retrieved 28 November 2015.
Further reading
- Dickinson, Joseph (1851). The Flora of Liverpool. Liverpool: Deighton and Laughton.