Merseyside: Difference between revisions

Latest revision as of 20:54, 17 November 2025

Template:Short description Template:Use dmy dates Template:Use British English Template:Infobox English county Merseyside (Template:IPAc-en Template:Respell) 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 Template:Convert and a population of 1,442,081 in 2022. Liverpool is located in the centre of the county on the east bank of the Mersey Estuary, and Birkenhead opposite on the west bank. St Helens is in the east of the county, and Southport in the north. For local government purposes the county comprises five metropolitan boroughs: Knowsley, St Helens, Sefton, Wirral, and Liverpool. The borough councils, together with that of Halton in Cheshire, collaborate through the Liverpool City Region Combined Authority.

What is now Merseyside was a largely rural area until the Industrial Revolution, when Liverpool and Birkenhead's positions on the Mersey Estuary enabled them to expand. Liverpool became a major port, heavily involved in the Atlantic slave trade and in supplying cotton to the mills of Lancashire, and Birkenhead developed into a centre for shipbuilding. Innovations during this period included the first inter-city railway, the first publicly-funded civic park, advances in dock technology, and a pioneering elevated electrical railway. The county was established in 1974, before which the entirety of the Wirral was in Cheshire and the remainder of the county was in Lancashire.

Merseyside is notable for its sport, music, and cultural institutions. The Merseybeat genre developed in what is now the county, which has also produced many artists and bands, including the Beatles. The county contains several football clubs, with Everton and Liverpool playing in the Premier League. The Royal Liverpool and Royal Birkdale golf clubs have hosted The Open Championship 22 times between them, and the Grand National is the most valuable jump race in Europe. National Museums Liverpool comprises nine museums and art galleries.

History

According to the OED, the earliest use of the word Merseyside (presumably as a general term for the lands surrounding the river) is from 1899.^[1]

The county of Merseyside was created in 1974 from areas previously part of the administrative counties of Lancashire and Cheshire, along with the county boroughs of Birkenhead, Bootle, Liverpool, St Helens, Southport, and Wallasey.^[2]

Merseyside had been designated a "Special Review" area in the Local Government Act 1958. The Local Government Commission for England started a review of this area in 1962, based around the core county boroughs of Liverpool, Bootle, Birkenhead and Wallasey. Further areas, including Widnes and Runcorn, were added to the Special Review Area by Order in 1965. Draft proposals were published in 1965, but the commission never completed its final proposals as it was abolished in 1966.

Instead, a Royal Commission was set up to review English local government entirely, and its report (known as the Redcliffe-Maud Report) proposed a much wider Merseyside metropolitan area covering southwest Lancashire and northwest Cheshire, extending as far south as Chester and as far north as the River Ribble. This would have included four districts: Southport/Crosby, Liverpool/Bootle, St Helens/Widnes and Wirral/Chester. Meanwhile, in 1970 the Merseyside Passenger Transport Executive (which operates today under the Merseytravel brand) was set up, covering Liverpool, Sefton, Wirral and Knowsley, but excluding Southport and St Helens.

The Redcliffe-Maud Report was rejected by the Conservative government elected in 1970, but the concept of a two-tier metropolitan area based on the Mersey area was retained in a white paper published in 1971. The Local Government Bill presented to Parliament involved a substantial trimming from the white paper, excluding the northern and southern fringes of the area, Chester, and Ellesmere Port; and, for the first time, including Southport, whose council had requested to be included. Further alterations took place in Parliament, with Skelmersdale being removed from the area, and a proposed district including St Helens and Huyton being subdivided into what are now the metropolitan boroughs of St Helens and Knowsley.

Merseyside was established as a metropolitan county on 1 April 1974 under the Local Government Act 1972, as part of a major reform of local government in England and Wales.^[2]

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
File:Merseyside County.png Merseyside is an amalgamation of 22 former local government districts, including six county boroughs and two municipal boroughs. Script error: No such module "Check for unknown parameters".	Knowsley			Huyton with Roby • Kirkby • Prescot	West Lancashire • Whiston
	Liverpool	Liverpool
	Sefton	Bootle • Southport	Crosby	Formby • Litherland	West Lancashire
	St Helens	St Helens		Newton-in-Makerfield • Billinge and Winstanley • Haydock • Rainford	Whiston
	Wirral	Birkenhead • Wallasey	Bebington	Hoylake • Wirral

Governance

At first, the county had a two-tier system of local government: the five metropolitan boroughs shared power with the Merseyside County Council, which was based in Liverpool.^[3] The first elections of the 99 members of the county council were held in April 1973, in advance of the formal establishment of the council on 1 April 1974. The body had a strategic role in areas such as transport; the boroughs had more powers than non-metropolitan districts, in that they were additionally responsible for education and social services, responsibilities allocated to county councils elsewhere.

In 1986 the county council, along with all other metropolitan county councils, was abolished under the Local Government Act 1985.^[3] Thus the boroughs are now effectively unitary authorities.

Geography

File:Merseyside aerial photograph.jpg

An aerial photograph of Merseyside

Script error: No such module "Labelled list hatnote". 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

Script error: No such module "labelled list hatnote". 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

Template:Merseyside population table

Ethnicity
Ethnic Group	1971 estimations^[4]		1981 estimations^[5]		1991 census^[5]		2001 census^[6]		2011 census^[7]		2021 census^[8]
Ethnic Group	Number	%	Number	%	Number	%	Number	%	Number	%	Number	%

White: Total	–	99.5%	1,500,267	98.6%	1,422,453	98.1%	1,322,938	97.1%	1,305,303	94.5%	1,304,797	91.7%
White: British	–	–	–	–	–	–	1,297,777	95.3%	1,268,277	91.8%	1,242,323	87.3%
White: Irish	–	–	–	–	–	–	13,005	1.0%	13,342	1.0%	13,508	0.9%
White: Gypsy or Irish Traveller^{[note 1]}	–	–	–	–	–	–	–	–	457	0.0%	763	0.1%
White: Roma^{[note 2]}	–	–	–	–	–	–	–	–	–	–	1,696	0.1%
White: Other	–	–	–	–	–	–	12,156	0.9%	23,227	1.7%	46,507	3.3%
Asian or Asian British: Total	–	–	9,061	0.6%	11,624	0.8%	16,511	1.2%	30,405	2.2%	44,452	3.1%
Asian or Asian British: Indian	–	–	2,248	0.1%	2,740	0.2%	3,769	0.3%	7,896	0.6%	10,686	0.8%
Asian or Asian British: Pakistani	–	–	716	0.0%	912	0.1%	1,528	0.1%	2,566	0.2%	4,723	0.3%
Asian or Asian British: Bangladeshi	–	–	489	0.0%	764	0.1%	1,266	0.1%	2,366	0.2%	3,863	0.3%
Asian or Asian British: Chinese^{[note 3]}	–	–	4,719	0.3%	5,895	0.4%	8,129	0.6%	11,554	0.8%	13,194	0.9%
Asian or Asian British: Other Asian	–	–	889	0.1%	1,313	0.1%	1,819	0.1%	6,023	0.4%	11,986	0.8%
Black or Black British: Total	–	–	8,344	0.5%	9,914	0.7%	6,838	0.5%	14,552	1.1%	21,902	1.5%
Black or Black British: African	–	–	2,630	0.2%	3,093	0.2%	3,722	0.3%	9,792	0.7%	16,091	1.1%
Black or Black British: Caribbean	–	–	1,890	0.1%	2,208	0.2%	1,600	0.1%	2,066	0.1%	2,364	0.2%
Black or Black British: Other Black	–	–	3,824	0.3%	4,613	0.3%	1,516	0.1%	2,694	0.2%	3,447	0.2%
Mixed: Total	–	–	–	–	–	–	13,189	1.0%	20,954	1.5%	30,495	2.1%
Mixed: White and Black Caribbean	–	–	–	–	–	–	3,918	0.3%	6,395	0.5%	7,280	0.5%
Mixed: White and Black African	–	–	–	–	–	–	3,157	0.2%	4,894	0.4%	7,021	0.5%
Mixed: White and Asian	–	–	–	–	–	–	2,714	0.2%	4,638	0.3%	7,666	0.5%
Mixed: Other Mixed	–	–	–	–	–	–	3,400	0.2%	5,027	0.4%	8,528	0.6%
Other: Total	–	–	4,531	0.3%	5,713	0.4%	2,550	0.2%	9,975	0.7%	21,640	1.5%
Other: Arab^{[note 1]}	–	–	–	–	–	–	–	–	6,379	0.5%	10,086	0.7%
Other: Any other ethnic group	–	–	–	–	–	–	2,550	0.2%	3,596	0.3%	11,554	0.8%
Non-White: Total	–	0.5%	21,932	1.4%	27,247	1.9%	39,088	2.9%	75,886	5.5%	118,489	8.3%
Total	–	100%	1,522,199	100%	1,449,700	100%	1,362,026	100%	1,381,189	100%	1,423,286	100%

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".^[9]

Local government

Metropolitan boroughs

Merseyside comprises the metropolitan boroughs of Liverpool, Knowsley, Sefton, St Helens and Wirral.

Combined authority

Template:Main article

The Liverpool City Region Combined Authority, which includes the five boroughs of Merseyside and the Borough of Halton in Cheshire, oversees functions given to it under the area's devolution deal with the UK government, such as transport, housing, innovation, employment, energy, tourism, and trade, and some responsibilities relating to crime and justice.^[10]^[11]

The combined authority is led by the Mayor of the Liverpool City Region, Steve Rotheram, who was elected in 2017 and re-elected in 2021^[12] and in 2024.^[13]

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
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Healthcare

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The planning and commissioning of care within Merseyside is the responsibility of an integrated care system, NHS Cheshire and Merseyside, which covers NHS and other care services within the Cheshire and Merseyside areas. It also oversees Cheshire and Merseyside Health and Care Partnership. NHS Cheshire and Merseyside serves a combined population of 2.7 million Template:As of.^[14]

Economy

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GVA and GDP by local authority district in 2021^[15]
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

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Road

File:Liverpool City Region Motorways.png

The motorway network around Merseyside

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.^[16]

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.^[17]^[18] Major bus companies are Stagecoach Merseyside and Arriva North West. Liverpool One bus station serves as a terminus for national coach travel.

Railway

File:Merseyrail train.png

A typical Merseyrail train at Liverpool Central underground station

Liverpool Lime Street main line station is Merseyside's primary inter-city railway station, being used by 10.46 million passengers in 2021–22.^[19] Services are provided by Avanti West Coast, East Midlands Railway, London Northwestern Railway, Northern Trains, TransPennine Express and Transport for Wales; between them, they serve destinations across the UK.^[20]^[21]

Merseyrail is the county's urban rail system and is operated by Merseytravel, the combined passenger transport executive for the Liverpool City Region. The network has 66 stations on two lines; the Northern Line covers the centre of the county and the Wirral Line covers the eponymous peninsula.^[22] The two lines meet in Liverpool City Centre and Liverpool Central is the county's most-used station, with 10.75 million passengers in 2021–22.^[23]^[24]^[19] The network extends to Ormskirk in Lancashire, and Ellesmere Port and Chester in Cheshire.^[25] Merseytravel brands the network in the east of the county as the City Line, but the services on it are not operated by Merseyrail. The Borderlands line connects the west of the Wirral to Wales and is operated by Transport for Wales.

Maritime

Template:Multiple images

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Liverpool Cruise Terminal provides facilities for long-distance passenger cruises. Fred. Olsen Cruise Lines Template:MS and Cruise & Maritime Voyages Template:MS 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.^[26]^[27]

Ferries

File:Seacombe Ferry Terminal Entrance (geograph 5384500).jpg

Seacombe Ferry Terminal

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 peopleScript error: No such module "Unsubst". travel these Irish Sea ferry services.^[28]^[29]

The Mersey Ferry has operated since the 1200s, currently between Wirral and Liverpool City Centre at Seacombe, Woodside and Liverpool Pier Head. In 2009–2010 it had 684,000Template:Nbsppassengers using the service.^[30]

Commercial

The Port of Liverpool handles most commercial shipping, but the Birkenhead Docks complex in Great Float on the Wirral peninsula still handles some freight.

The Port of Liverpool is a container port that handles over 33Template:Nbspmillion Template:Nbsptonnes of freight cargo per year, making it the fourth busiest port in the United Kingdom Template:As of.^[31] It 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.^[32]^[33] A second container terminal, Liverpool2 at Seaforth, can handle Post-Panamax vessels and doubled the port's capacity when it opened in 2016.^[34]

Air

Liverpool John Lennon Airport is the county's international airport. It is in Speke, Template:Convert south-east of Liverpool city centre, with 5 million departures in 2020.^[35] 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.^[36]^[37]^[38]

The airport is planning substantial expansion, and is forecast to handle more than 12Template:Nbspmillion passengers by 2030, as well as targeting permanent direct long haul flights and significantly larger terminal facilities.^[39]

Sport

Script error: No such module "labelled list hatnote". Merseyside is host to several football league football clubs including Everton, Liverpool and Tranmere Rovers and several non-league football clubs including Marine A.F.C. and Southport F.C. The BrewDog Stadium hosts the St Helens Rugby League team, and Liverpool FC Women.

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.^[40]

Aintree Racecourse hosts the Grand National, alongside Haydock Park Racecourse, which hosts many other events. 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

File:Croxteth Hall.jpg

Croxteth Hall

File:Knowsley Hall, Merseyside-6116277943.jpg

Knowsley Hall

Notable people

See Category:People from Merseyside

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Notes

Template:Reflist

References

Template:Reflist

External links

Template:Sister project Template:Wikivoyage

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↑ [1], OED history
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↑ Sefton poll Template:Webarchive, where 51% residents belonged strongly to Merseyside, and compared with 35% to Lancashire; Wirral poll Template:Webarchive, 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.
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[1] [1], OED history

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Merseyside: Difference between revisions

Latest revision as of 20:54, 17 November 2025

Contents

History

Governance

Geography

Green belt

Demography

Identity

Local government

Metropolitan boroughs

Combined authority

County-level functions

Healthcare

Economy

Transport

Road

Railway

Maritime

Ferries

Commercial

Air

Sport

Places of interest

Liverpool

Knowsley

St Helens

Sefton

Wirral

Notable people

See also

Notes

References

Further reading

External links

Navigation menu

@@ Line 67: / Line 67: @@
 '''Merseyside''' ({{IPAc-en|ˈ|m|ɜr|z|i|s|aɪ|d|audio=LL-Q1860 (eng)-Flame, not lame-Merseyside.wav}} {{respell|MUR|zee|syde}}) is a [[ceremonial counties of England|ceremonial]] and [[metropolitan county]] in [[North West England]]. It borders [[Lancashire]] to the north, [[Greater Manchester]] to the east, [[Cheshire]] to the south, the [[Wales|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 {{convert|249|sqmi|km2|0}} and a population of 1.42 million in 2007.<ref>{{cite web|title=2007 Mid Year Estimates|publisher=statistics.gov.uk |url=http://www.statistics.gov.uk/statbase/Product.asp?vlnk=15106 |access-date=9 September 2010 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081216083533/http://www.statistics.gov.uk/statbase/Product.asp?vlnk=15106 |archive-date=16 December 2008 }}</ref> After Liverpool (552,267), the largest settlements are [[Birkenhead]] (143,968), [[St Helens, Merseyside|St Helens]] (102,629), and [[Southport]] (94,421). For [[Local government in England|local government]] purposes the county comprises five [[metropolitan borough]]s: [[Metropolitan Borough of Knowsley|Knowsley]], [[Metropolitan Borough of St Helens|St Helens]], [[Metropolitan Borough of Sefton|Sefton]], [[Metropolitan Borough of Wirral|Wirral]], and Liverpool. The borough councils, together with that of [[Borough of Halton|Halton]] in Cheshire, collaborate through the [[Liverpool City Region Combined Authority]].
+The county is highly urbanised, with an area of {{convert|249|sqmi|km2|0}} and a population of {{English cerem counties|POP=Merseyside}} in {{English cerem counties|POP=|TXT=Year}}. Liverpool is located in the centre of the county on the east bank of the [[Mersey Estuary]], and [[Birkenhead]] opposite on the west bank. [[St Helens, Merseyside|St Helens]] is in the east of the county, and [[Southport]] in the north. For [[Local government in England|local government]] purposes the county comprises five [[metropolitan borough]]s: [[Metropolitan Borough of Knowsley|Knowsley]], [[Metropolitan Borough of St Helens|St Helens]], [[Metropolitan Borough of Sefton|Sefton]], [[Metropolitan Borough of Wirral|Wirral]], and Liverpool. The borough councils, together with that of [[Borough of Halton|Halton]] in Cheshire, collaborate through the [[Liverpool City Region Combined Authority]].
-What is now Merseyside was a largely rural area until the [[Industrial Revolution]], when Liverpool and Birkenhead's positions on the [[Mersey Estuary]] enabled them to expand. Liverpool became a major port, heavily involved in the [[Atlantic slave trade]] and in supplying cotton to the mills of Lancashire, and Birkenhead developed into a centre for shipbuilding. Innovations during this period included the [[Liverpool and Manchester Railway|first inter-city railway]], the first [[Birkenhead Park|publicly-funded civic park]], advances in [[Royal Albert Dock, Liverpool|dock technology]], and a pioneering [[Liverpool Overhead Railway|elevated electrical railway]]. The county was established in 1974, before which the entirety of the [[Wirral Peninsula|Wirral]] was in Cheshire and the remainder of the county was in Lancashire.
+What is now Merseyside was a largely rural area until the [[Industrial Revolution]], when Liverpool and Birkenhead's positions on the Mersey Estuary enabled them to expand. Liverpool became a major port, heavily involved in the [[Atlantic slave trade]] and in supplying cotton to the mills of Lancashire, and Birkenhead developed into a centre for shipbuilding. Innovations during this period included the [[Liverpool and Manchester Railway|first inter-city railway]], the first [[Birkenhead Park|publicly-funded civic park]], advances in [[Royal Albert Dock, Liverpool|dock technology]], and a pioneering [[Liverpool Overhead Railway|elevated electrical railway]]. The county was established in 1974, before which the entirety of the [[Wirral Peninsula|Wirral]] was in Cheshire and the remainder of the county was in Lancashire.
 Merseyside is notable for its sport, music, and cultural institutions. The [[Merseybeat]] genre developed in what is now the county, which has also produced [[List of bands and artists from Merseyside|many artists and bands]], including [[the Beatles]]. The county contains several football clubs, with [[Everton F.C.|Everton]] and [[Liverpool F.C.|Liverpool]] playing in the [[Premier League]]. The [[Royal Liverpool Golf Club|Royal Liverpool]] and [[Royal Birkdale Golf Club|Royal Birkdale]] golf clubs have hosted [[The Open Championship]] 22 times between them, and the [[Grand National]] is the most valuable jump race in Europe. [[National Museums Liverpool]] comprises nine museums and art galleries.
 ==History==
-{{stack|[[File:Seaforth Docks.jpg|thumb|[[Port of Liverpool]] docks, at [[Seaforth, Merseyside|Seaforth]]. Merseyside lies on the [[River Mersey|Mersey Estuary]]]]}}
+According to the [[OED]], the earliest use of the word Merseyside (presumably as a general term for the lands surrounding the river) is from 1899.<ref>[https://www.oed.com/dictionary/merseyside_adj], OED history</ref>
-Merseyside was designated as a "Special Review" area in the [[Local Government Act 1958]], and the [[Local Government Commission for England (1958 - 1966)|Local Government Commission for England]] started a review of this area in 1962, based around the core county boroughs of [[Liverpool]], [[Bootle]], [[Birkenhead]] and [[Wallasey]]. Further areas, including [[Widnes]] and [[Runcorn]], were added to the Special Review Area by Order in 1965. Draft proposals were published in 1965, but the commission never completed its final proposals as it was abolished in 1966.
-Instead, a [[Royal Commission]] was set up to review English local government entirely, and its report (known as the [[Redcliffe-Maud Report]]) proposed a much wider Merseyside metropolitan area covering southwest Lancashire and northwest Cheshire, extending as far south as [[Chester]] and as far north as the [[River Ribble]]. This would have included four districts: [[Southport]]/[[Crosby, Merseyside|Crosby]], [[Liverpool]]/[[Bootle]], [[St Helens, Merseyside|St Helens]]/[[Widnes]] and [[Wirral Peninsula|Wirral]]/[[Chester]]. In 1970 the [[Merseyside Passenger Transport Executive]] (which operates today under the ''[[Merseytravel]]'' brand) was set up, covering Liverpool, Sefton, Wirral and Knowsley, but excluding Southport and St Helens.
+The county of Merseyside was created in 1974 from areas previously part of the [[administrative counties of England|administrative counties]] of [[Lancashire]] and [[Cheshire]], along with the county boroughs of Birkenhead, Bootle, Liverpool, St Helens, Southport, and Wallasey.<ref name=":2">{{Cite legislation UK|type=act|year=1972|chapter=70|number=|act=Local Government Act 1972|schedule=1|accessdate=30 August 2025|date=26 October 1972}}</ref>
-The Redcliffe-Maud Report was rejected by the incoming [[Conservative Party (UK)|Conservative]] government, but the concept of a two-tier metropolitan area based on the Mersey area was retained. A [[White Paper]] was published in 1971. The [[Local Government Act 1972|Local Government Bill]] presented to Parliament involved a substantial trimming from the White Paper, excluding the northern and southern fringes of the area, excluding Chester, Ellesmere Port, and, for the first time, including Southport, whose council had requested to be included. Further alterations took place in Parliament, with [[Skelmersdale]] being removed from the area, and a proposed district including St Helens and [[Huyton]] being subdivided into what are now the metropolitan boroughs of [[Metropolitan Borough of St Helens|St Helens]] and [[Metropolitan Borough of Knowsley|Knowsley]].
+Merseyside had been designated a "Special Review" area in the [[Local Government Act 1958]]. The [[Local Government Commission for England (1958–1967)|Local Government Commission for England]] started a review of this area in 1962, based around the core county boroughs of [[Liverpool]], [[Bootle]], [[Birkenhead]] and [[Wallasey]]. Further areas, including [[Widnes]] and [[Runcorn]], were added to the Special Review Area by Order in 1965. Draft proposals were published in 1965, but the commission never completed its final proposals as it was abolished in 1966.
-Merseyside was created on 1 April 1974 from areas previously part of the [[administrative counties of England|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.
+Instead, a [[Royal Commission]] was set up to review English local government entirely, and its report (known as the [[Redcliffe-Maud Report]]) proposed a much wider Merseyside metropolitan area covering southwest Lancashire and northwest Cheshire, extending as far south as [[Chester]] and as far north as the [[River Ribble]]. This would have included four districts: [[Southport]]/[[Crosby, Merseyside|Crosby]], [[Liverpool]]/[[Bootle]], [[St Helens, Merseyside|St Helens]]/[[Widnes]] and [[Wirral Peninsula|Wirral]]/[[Chester]]. Meanwhile, in 1970 the Merseyside Passenger Transport Executive (which operates today under the ''[[Merseytravel]]'' brand) was set up, covering Liverpool, Sefton, Wirral and Knowsley, but excluding Southport and St Helens.
+The Redcliffe-Maud Report was rejected by the [[Conservative Government 1970-1974|Conservative government]] elected in 1970, but the concept of a two-tier metropolitan area based on the Mersey area was retained in a [[white paper]] published in 1971. The [[Local Government Act 1972|Local Government Bill]] presented to Parliament involved a substantial trimming from the white paper, excluding the northern and southern fringes of the area, Chester, and Ellesmere Port; and, for the first time, including Southport, whose council had requested to be included. Further alterations took place in Parliament, with [[Skelmersdale]] being removed from the area, and a proposed district including St Helens and [[Huyton]] being subdivided into what are now the metropolitan boroughs of [[Metropolitan Borough of St Helens|St Helens]] and [[Metropolitan Borough of Knowsley|Knowsley]].
+Merseyside was established as a [[metropolitan county]] on 1 April 1974 under the [[Local Government Act 1972]], as part of a major reform of local government in England and Wales.<ref name=":2" />
+Following the creation of Merseyside, Merseytravel expanded to take in St Helens and Southport.
 {| class="wikitable" style="border:0px;text-align:left;line-height:150%;"
-! colspan="2" | [[Local Government Act 1972|post-1974]]
+! colspan="2" | [[Local Government Act 1972|Post-1974]]
-! colspan="4" | [[Local Government Act 1888|pre-1974]]
+! colspan="4" | [[Local Government Act 1888|Pre-1974]]
 |-
 ! Metropolitan county
@@ Line 94: / Line 99: @@
 ! [[Rural district]]s
 |-
-|rowspan=5| [[File:Merseyside County.png|300px]]<br />{{center|Merseyside is an amalgamation of 22 former local government districts, including six county boroughs and two municipal boroughs.}}
+| rowspan="5" | [[File:Merseyside County.png|300px]]<br />{{center|Merseyside is an amalgamation of 22 former local government districts, including six county boroughs and two municipal boroughs.}}
 | [[Metropolitan Borough of Knowsley|Knowsley]]
 |
 |
 | [[Huyton with Roby Urban District|Huyton with Roby]]&nbsp;• [[Kirkby Urban District|Kirkby]]&nbsp;• [[Prescot Urban District|Prescot]]
 | [[West Lancashire Rural District|West Lancashire]]&nbsp;• [[Whiston Rural District|Whiston]]
@@ Line 103: / Line 108: @@
 | [[Liverpool]]
 | Liverpool
 |
 |
 |
 |-
 | [[Metropolitan Borough of Sefton|Sefton]]
@@ Line 115: / Line 120: @@
 | [[Metropolitan Borough of St Helens|St Helens]]
 | [[County Borough of St Helens|St Helens]]
 |
 | [[Newton-in-Makerfield Urban District|Newton-in-Makerfield]]&nbsp;• [[Billinge and Winstanley]]&nbsp;• [[Haydock Urban District|Haydock]]&nbsp;• [[Rainford Urban District|Rainford]]
 | [[Whiston Rural District|Whiston]]
@@ Line 123: / Line 128: @@
 | [[Municipal Borough of Bebington|Bebington]]
 | [[Hoylake Urban District|Hoylake]]&nbsp;• [[Wirral Urban District|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 of England|unitary authorities]].
+== Governance ==
+At first, the county had a two-tier system of local government: the five [[Metropolitan borough|metropolitan boroughs]] shared power with the [[Merseyside County Council]], which was based in Liverpool.<ref name=":3">{{Cite news |last=Evans |first=Andrew |date=12 August 1992 |title=Public Service Management: End of the metropolitan line |url=https://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/public-service-management-end-of-the-metropolitan-line-county-councils-face-an-uncertain-future-andrew-evans-recalls-how-the-government-abolished-local-authorities-serving-18-million-people-1540037.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230410193547/https://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/public-service-management-end-of-the-metropolitan-line-county-councils-face-an-uncertain-future-andrew-evans-recalls-how-the-government-abolished-local-authorities-serving-18-million-people-1540037.html |archive-date=10 April 2023 |access-date=2025-08-30 |work=The Independent |language=en-GB |url-status=live }}</ref> The first elections of the 99 members of the county council were held in [[1973 Merseyside County Council election|April 1973]], in advance of the formal establishment of the council on 1 April 1974. The body had a strategic role in areas such as transport; the boroughs had more powers than [[Non-metropolitan district|non-metropolitan districts]], in that they were additionally responsible for education and social services, responsibilities allocated to county councils elsewhere.
+In 1986 the county council, along with all other metropolitan county councils, was abolished under the [[Local Government Act 1985]].<ref name=":3" /> Thus the boroughs are now effectively [[Unitary authorities of England|unitary authorities]].
 ==Geography==
@@ Line 144: / Line 152: @@
 |+ Ethnicity
 ! rowspan="2" |Ethnic Group
+! colspan="2" |1971 estimations<ref>{{Cite web |last=Owen |first=David |title=ETHNIC MINORITIES IN GREAT BRITAIN: Settlement patterns |url=https://www.researchgate.net/publication/266517233}}</ref>
 ! colspan="2" |1981 estimations<ref name=":02">{{Cite book |url=http://archive.org/details/ethnicityin1991c0000unse |title=Ethnicity in the 1991 census: Vol 3 - Social geography and ethnicity in Britain, geographical spread, spatial concentration and internal migration |date=1996 |publisher=London : HMSO |others=Internet Archive |isbn=978-0-11-691655-6}}</ref>
-! colspan="2" |1991 census<ref name=":02"/>
+! colspan="2" |1991 census<ref name=":02" />
 ! colspan="2" |2001 census<ref>{{Cite web |title=KS006 -Ethnic Group
 |url=https://www.nomisweb.co.uk/query/construct/summary.asp?mode=construct&version=0&dataset=1606 | website=nomisweb.co.uk |language=en}}</ref>
@@ Line 153: / Line 162: @@
 |url=https://www.nomisweb.co.uk/query/construct/summary.asp?mode=construct&version=0&dataset=2041 |website=nomisweb.co.uk |language=en}}</ref>
 |-
+!Number
+!%
 !Number
 !%
@@ Line 164: / Line 175: @@
 !%
 |-
+|
+|
 |
 |
@@ Line 171: / Line 184: @@
 |-
 ![[White people in the United Kingdom|White]]: Total
+!–
+!99.5%
 !1,500,267
 !98.6%
@@ Line 183: / Line 198: @@
 |-
 |White: [[White British|British]]
+|–
+|–
 |–
 |–
@@ Line 195: / Line 212: @@
 |-
 |White: [[White Irish|Irish]]
+|–
+|–
 |–
 |–
@@ Line 207: / Line 226: @@
 |-
 |White: [[White Gypsy or Irish Traveller|Gypsy or Irish Traveller]]<ref name="auto" group="note">New category created for the 2011 census</ref>
+|–
+|–
 |–
 |–
@@ Line 219: / Line 240: @@
 |-
 |White: [[Romani people in the United Kingdom|Roma]]<ref group="note">New category created for the 2021 census</ref>
+|–
+|–
 |–
 |–
@@ Line 231: / Line 254: @@
 |-
 |White: [[Other White|Other]]
+|–
+|–
 |–
 |–
@@ Line 243: / Line 268: @@
 |-
 ![[British Asian|Asian or Asian British]]: Total
+!–
+!–
 !9,061
 !0.6%
@@ Line 255: / Line 282: @@
 |-
 |Asian or Asian British: [[British Indians|Indian]]
+|–
+|–
 |2,248
 |0.1%
@@ Line 267: / Line 296: @@
 |-
 |Asian or Asian British: [[British Pakistanis|Pakistani]]
+|–
+|–
 |716
 |0.0%
@@ Line 279: / Line 310: @@
 |-
 |Asian or Asian British: [[British Bangladeshis|Bangladeshi]]
+|–
+|–
 |489
 |0.0%
@@ Line 291: / Line 324: @@
 |-
 |Asian or Asian British: [[British Chinese|Chinese]]<ref group="note">In 2001, listed under the 'Chinese or other ethnic group' heading.</ref>
+|–
+|–
 |4,719
 |0.3%
@@ Line 303: / Line 338: @@
 |-
 |Asian or Asian British: Other Asian
+|–
+|–
 |889
 |0.1%
@@ Line 315: / Line 352: @@
 |-
 ![[Black British people|Black or Black British]]: Total
+!–
+!–
 !8,344
 !0.5%
@@ Line 327: / Line 366: @@
 |-
 |Black or Black British: [[Black British people|African]]
+|–
+|–
 |2,630
 |0.2%
@@ Line 339: / Line 380: @@
 |-
 |Black or Black British: [[British African-Caribbean people|Caribbean]]
+|–
+|–
 |1,890
 |0.1%
@@ Line 351: / Line 394: @@
 |-
 |Black or Black British: [[Classification of ethnicity in the United Kingdom|Other Black]]
+|–
+|–
 |3,824
 |0.3%
@@ Line 363: / Line 408: @@
 |-
 ![[Mixed (United Kingdom ethnicity category)|Mixed]]: Total
+!–
+!–
 !–
 !–
@@ Line 375: / Line 422: @@
 |-
 |Mixed: White and Black Caribbean
+|–
+|–
 |–
 |–
@@ Line 387: / Line 436: @@
 |-
 |Mixed: White and Black African
+|–
+|–
 |–
 |–
@@ Line 399: / Line 450: @@
 |-
 |Mixed: White and Asian
+|–
+|–
 |–
 |–
@@ Line 411: / Line 464: @@
 |-
 |Mixed: Other Mixed
+|–
+|–
 |–
 |–
@@ Line 423: / Line 478: @@
 |-
 !Other: Total
+!–
+!–
 !4,531
 !0.3%
@@ Line 435: / Line 492: @@
 |-
 |Other: Arab<ref name="auto" group="note" />
+|–
+|–
 |–
 |–
@@ Line 447: / Line 506: @@
 |-
 |Other: Any other ethnic group
+|–
+|–
 |–
 |–
@@ Line 459: / Line 520: @@
 |-
 !Non-White: Total
+!–
+!0.5%
 !21,932
 !1.4%
@@ Line 471: / Line 534: @@
 |-
 !Total
+!–
+!100%
 !1,522,199
 !100%
@@ Line 487: / Line 552: @@
 ==Local government==
-[[File:Arms of the Merseyside Metropolitan County Council.svg|thumb|right|Coat of arms of the former [[Merseyside County Council]]]]
 ===Metropolitan boroughs===
 Merseyside comprises the [[metropolitan borough]]s of [[Liverpool]], [[Metropolitan Borough of Knowsley|Knowsley]], [[Metropolitan Borough of Sefton|Sefton]], [[Metropolitan Borough of St Helens|St Helens]] and [[Metropolitan Borough of Wirral|Wirral]].
@@ Line 494: / Line 557: @@
 ===Combined authority===
 {{Main article|Liverpool City Region Combined Authority}}
 The [[Liverpool City Region Combined Authority]], which includes the five boroughs of Merseyside and the [[Borough of Halton]] in Cheshire, oversees functions given to it under the area's [[Cities and Local Government Devolution Act 2016|devolution deal]] with the UK government, such as transport, housing, innovation, employment, energy, tourism, and trade, and some responsibilities relating to crime and justice.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Wiggins |first=Kaye |date=2013-08-12 |title=Merseyside combined authority plans outlined |url=https://www.lgcplus.com/politics/governance-and-structure/merseyside-combined-authority-plans-outlined-12-08-2013/ |access-date=2024-04-19 |website=Local Government Chronicle |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=Technical paper on Level 4 devolution framework |url=https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/technical-paper-on-level-4-devolution-framework/technical-paper-on-level-4-devolution-framework |access-date=2024-12-10 |website=GOV.UK |language=en}}</ref>
@@ Line 508: / Line 572: @@
 == Healthcare ==
 {{Main|Healthcare in Merseyside}}
 The planning and commissioning of care within Merseyside is the responsibility of an [[integrated care system]], NHS Cheshire and Merseyside, which covers [[National Health Service|NHS]] and other care services within the [[Cheshire]] and Merseyside areas. It also oversees Cheshire and Merseyside Health and Care Partnership. NHS Cheshire and Merseyside serves a combined population of 2.7 million {{As of|2024|lc=y}}.<ref>{{Cite web |title=NHS Cheshire and Merseyside |url=https://www.cheshireandmerseyside.nhs.uk/about/nhs-cheshire-and-merseyside/ |access-date=2024-12-11 |website= |language=en-gb}}</ref>
 ==Economy==
-{{See also|Liverpool City Region#Economy|Liverpool#Economy|Metropolitan Borough of Wirral#Economy|Metropolitan Borough of Sefton#Economy}}
+{{See also|Liverpool City Region#Economy|Liverpool#Economy|Metropolitan Borough of Wirral#Economy|Metropolitan Borough of Sefton#Economy}}{{stack|[[File:Seaforth Docks.jpg|thumb|[[Port of Liverpool]] docks, at [[Seaforth, Merseyside|Seaforth]]. Merseyside lies on the [[River Mersey|Mersey Estuary]]]]}}
 {| class="wikitable sortable" style="text-align:right;"
 |+ GVA and GDP by local authority district in 2021<ref name="ONS GVA and GDP">{{cite web |url=https://www.ons.gov.uk/economy/grossdomesticproductgdp/datasets/regionalgrossdomesticproductlocalauthorities |title=Regional gross domestic product: local authorities |last=Fenton |first=Trevor |date=25 April 2023 |website=Office for National Statistics |access-date=13 December 2023}}</ref>
@@ Line 562: / Line 626: @@
 === Road ===
-[[File:Liverpool_City_Region_Motorways.png|thumb|Motorway network around Merseyside]]
+[[File:Liverpool_City_Region_Motorways.png|thumb|The motorway network around Merseyside]]
 Merseyside is served by six [[Controlled-access highway|motorways]]: the [[M58 motorway|M58]] to the north, [[M56 motorway|M56]] to the south, [[M6 motorway|M6]] & [[M62 motorway|M62]] to the east and [[M53 motorway|M53]] to the west. The [[M57 motorway|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.<ref>{{cite news |title=Halton Council: Runcorn & Widnes Communications |url=http://www.halton.gov.uk/property/comms_roads.asp |url-status=dead |access-date=10 May 2012 |archive-url=http://webarchive.nationalarchives.gov.uk/20111015125932/http%3A//www.halton.gov.uk/property/comms_roads.asp |archive-date=15 October 2011 |df=dmy-all}}</ref>
 [[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.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Route 56 – Sustrans.org.uk |url=https://www.sustrans.org.uk/find-a-route-on-the-national-cycle-network/route-56 |access-date=20 June 2023 |website=Sustrans |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=Route 62 |url=https://www.sustrans.org.uk/find-a-route-on-the-national-cycle-network/route-62/ |access-date=20 June 2023 |website=Sustrans |language=en}}</ref> Major bus companies are [[Stagecoach Merseyside]] and [[Arriva North West]]. [[Liverpool One bus station]] serves as a terminus for national coach travel.
-=== Rail ===
+=== Railway ===
-[[File:Merseyrail_train.png|right|thumb|Typical Merseyrail train at Liverpool Central underground station]]
+[[File:Merseyrail_train.png|right|thumb|A typical Merseyrail train at Liverpool Central underground station]]
-[[Liverpool Lime Street railway station|Liverpool Lime Street]] mainline station is Merseyside's primary intercity railway station, being used by 10.46 million passengers in 2021–22.<ref name=":0">{{Cite web |last=Office of Rail and Road |date=24 November 2022 |title=Estimates of station usage: 1 April 2021 to 31 March 2022 |url=https://dataportal.orr.gov.uk/media/2150/station-usage-2021-22-statistical-release.pdf |access-date=20 June 2023 |website=dataportal.orr.gov.uk |page=4}}</ref> Train services are provided by [[Avanti West Coast]], [[London Northwestern Railway]], [[TransPennine Express]], [[West Midlands Trains]], [[Transport for Wales]] and [[Northern (train operating company)|Northern]], and serve destinations across the UK.<ref>{{cite news |title=railway-technology.com: Liverpool Lime Street Station, United Kingdom |url=http://www.railway-technology.com/projects/liverpoollimestreets |access-date=9 May 2012}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |title=redspottedhanky.com: Stations Overview: Liverpool Lime Street |url=http://www.redspottedhanky.com/trains/stations/liverpool-lime-street-liv/ |access-date=9 May 2012}}</ref>
-[[Merseyrail]] is the county's urban rail system and is operated by [[Merseytravel]], the combined [[passenger transport executive]] for the Liverpool City Region. The network has 66 stations on two lines; the Northern Line covers the centre of the county, and the Wirral Line covers the eponymous peninsula.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Stations |url=https://www.merseyrail.org/journey-planning/stations/ |access-date=20 June 2023 |website=www.merseyrail.org |language=en-GB}}</ref> The two lines meet in [[Liverpool City Centre]], and [[Liverpool Central railway station|Liverpool Central]] is the county's most-used station, with 10.75 million passengers in 2021–22.<ref>{{cite news |date=31 October 2011 |title=Transport Committee: Written evidence from Merseytravel (CTR 09) |url=https://publications.parliament.uk/pa/cm201012/cmselect/cmtran/1609/1609vw10.htm |access-date=9 May 2012}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |title=transportweb.com: Merseyrail Electrics |url=http://www.transportweb.com/directory/386/15561 |access-date=9 May 2012}}</ref><ref name=":0" /> The network extends to [[Ormskirk]] in Lancashire, and Ellesmere Port and Chester in Cheshire.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Network Map |url=https://www.merseyrail.org/journey-planning/plan-your-journey/network-map/ |access-date=20 June 2023 |website=www.merseyrail.org |language=en-GB}}</ref> Merseytravel brands the network in the east of the county as the '[[City Line (Merseytravel)|City Line]]', but the services on it are not operated by Merseyrail. The [[Borderlands line]] connects the west of the Wirral to [[Wales]], and is operated by [[Transport for Wales Rail]].
+[[Liverpool Lime Street railway station|Liverpool Lime Street]] main line station is Merseyside's primary inter-city railway station, being used by 10.46 million passengers in 2021–22.<ref name=":0">{{Cite web |last=Office of Rail and Road |date=24 November 2022 |title=Estimates of station usage: 1 April 2021 to 31 March 2022 |url=https://dataportal.orr.gov.uk/media/2150/station-usage-2021-22-statistical-release.pdf |access-date=20 June 2023 |website=dataportal.orr.gov.uk |page=4}}</ref> Services are provided by [[Avanti West Coast]], [[East Midlands Railway]], [[London Northwestern Railway]], [[Northern Trains]], [[TransPennine Express]] and [[Transport for Wales Rail|Transport for Wales]]; between them, they serve destinations across the UK.<ref>{{cite news |title=railway-technology.com: Liverpool Lime Street Station, United Kingdom |url=http://www.railway-technology.com/projects/liverpoollimestreets |access-date=9 May 2012}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |title=redspottedhanky.com: Stations Overview: Liverpool Lime Street |url=http://www.redspottedhanky.com/trains/stations/liverpool-lime-street-liv/ |access-date=9 May 2012 |archive-date=9 March 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140309093756/http://www.redspottedhanky.com/trains/stations/liverpool-lime-street-liv/ |url-status=dead }}</ref>
+[[Merseyrail]] is the county's urban rail system and is operated by [[Merseytravel]], the combined [[passenger transport executive]] for the Liverpool City Region. The network has 66 stations on two lines; the Northern Line covers the centre of the county and the Wirral Line covers the eponymous peninsula.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Stations |url=https://www.merseyrail.org/journey-planning/stations/ |access-date=20 June 2023 |website=www.merseyrail.org |language=en-GB}}</ref> The two lines meet in [[Liverpool City Centre]] and [[Liverpool Central railway station|Liverpool Central]] is the county's most-used station, with 10.75 million passengers in 2021–22.<ref>{{cite news |date=31 October 2011 |title=Transport Committee: Written evidence from Merseytravel (CTR 09) |url=https://publications.parliament.uk/pa/cm201012/cmselect/cmtran/1609/1609vw10.htm |access-date=9 May 2012}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |title=transportweb.com: Merseyrail Electrics |url=http://www.transportweb.com/directory/386/15561 |access-date=9 May 2012 |archive-date=14 October 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131014115557/http://www.transportweb.com/directory/386/15561/ |url-status=dead }}</ref><ref name=":0" /> The network extends to [[Ormskirk]] in Lancashire, and Ellesmere Port and Chester in Cheshire.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Network Map |url=https://www.merseyrail.org/journey-planning/plan-your-journey/network-map/ |access-date=20 June 2023 |website=www.merseyrail.org |language=en-GB}}</ref> Merseytravel brands the network in the east of the county as the ''[[City Line (Merseytravel)|City Line]]'', but the services on it are not operated by Merseyrail. The [[Borderlands line]] connects the west of the Wirral to Wales and is operated by Transport for Wales.
 === Maritime ===
@@ Line 595: / Line 661: @@
 ==== Ferries ====
 [[File:Seacombe Ferry Terminal Entrance (geograph 5384500).jpg|thumb|Seacombe Ferry Terminal]]
 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|date=February 2023}} travel these [[Irish Sea]] ferry services.<ref>{{cite news |title=Direct Ferries Ltd: How To Get To Liverpool Ferry Port |url=http://www.directferries.co.uk/liverpool.htm |access-date=9 May 2012}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |date=February 2011 |title=parliament.uk: Written evidence from Blundellsands Sailing Club (MCA 53) |url=https://publications.parliament.uk/pa/cm201012/cmselect/cmtran/948/948vw42.htm |access-date=9 May 2012}}</ref>
@@ Line 603: / Line 670: @@
 The Port of Liverpool is a [[container port]] that handles over 33{{nbsp}}million{{nbsp}}tonnes of [[Cargo|freight cargo]] per year, making it the fourth busiest port in the United Kingdom {{as of|2022|lc=on}}.<ref name="port01">{{cite web|url=https://www.gov.uk/government/statistical-data-sets/port-and-domestic-waterborne-freight-statistics-port |title=Statistical data set PORT01 – UK ports and traffic|publisher=Department for Transport | access-date = 27 July 2024}}</ref>
-It serves more than 100 global destinations including Africa, Australia, China, India, the [[Middle East]] and [[South America]]. Imports include [[Cereal|grain]] and [[animal feed]], [[Lumber|timber]], steel, coal, cocoa, crude oil, edible oils and liquid chemicals; there are exports of [[Scrap|scrap metal]] for recycling.<ref>{{cite news |year=2010 |title=Peel Ports: Port of Liverpool |url=http://www.peelports.co.uk/port-of-liverpool |url-status=dead |access-date=9 May 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120413101031/http://www.peelports.co.uk/port-of-liverpool/ |archive-date=13 April 2012 }}</ref><ref>{{cite news |year=2010 |title=Port of Liverpool Introduction |url=http://www.shipcanal.co.uk/port-of-liverpool |access-date=9 May 2012}}</ref>  A second container terminal, [[Liverpool2]] at [[Seaforth Dock|Seaforth]], can handle [[Panamax|Post-Panamax]] vessels and doubled the port's capacity when it opened in 2016.<ref>{{cite news |date=6 March 2012 |title=Liverpool Port Terminal Work to Begin Next Year |url=http://www.joc.com/portsterminals/liverpool-port-terminal-work-begin-next-year |access-date=9 May 2012}}</ref>
+It serves more than 100 global destinations including Africa, Australia, China, India, the [[Middle East]] and [[South America]]. Imports include [[Cereal|grain]] and [[animal feed]], [[Lumber|timber]], steel, coal, cocoa, crude oil, edible oils and liquid chemicals; there are exports of [[Scrap|scrap metal]] for recycling.<ref>{{cite news |year=2010 |title=Peel Ports: Port of Liverpool |url=http://www.peelports.co.uk/port-of-liverpool |url-status=dead |access-date=9 May 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120413101031/http://www.peelports.co.uk/port-of-liverpool/ |archive-date=13 April 2012 }}</ref><ref>{{cite news |year=2010 |title=Port of Liverpool Introduction |url=http://www.shipcanal.co.uk/port-of-liverpool |access-date=9 May 2012 |archive-date=4 May 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120504000121/http://www.shipcanal.co.uk/port-of-liverpool/ |url-status=dead }}</ref>  A second container terminal, [[Liverpool2]] at [[Seaforth Dock|Seaforth]], can handle [[Panamax|Post-Panamax]] vessels and doubled the port's capacity when it opened in 2016.<ref>{{cite news |date=6 March 2012 |title=Liverpool Port Terminal Work to Begin Next Year |url=http://www.joc.com/portsterminals/liverpool-port-terminal-work-begin-next-year |access-date=9 May 2012 |archive-date=26 May 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120526060648/http://www.joc.com/portsterminals/liverpool-port-terminal-work-begin-next-year |url-status=dead }}</ref>
 === Air ===
-[[Liverpool John Lennon Airport]] is the county's international airport. It is in [[Speke]], {{convert|6.5|mi}} southeast of Liverpool city centre, with 5 million departures in 2020.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Arrivals and departures at Liverpool John Lennon Airport 2020 |url=https://www.statista.com/statistics/467477/passengers-arrivals-and-departures-at-liverpool-john-lennon-airport-uk/ |access-date=20 June 2023 |website=Statista |language=en}}</ref> 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]].<ref>{{cite news |date=29 June 2011 |title=Liverpool John Lennon airport provides key tourism gateway |url=http://www.liverpooldailypost.co.uk/ldpbusiness/2011/06/29/liverpool-john-lennon-airport-provides-key-tourism-gateway-99623-28966834 |access-date=10 May 2012}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |title=Ryanair's New Routes from JLA Take Off In Style |url=http://www.liverpoolairport.com/press-office/ryanair-s-new-routes-from-jla-take-off-in-style.html |url-status=dead |access-date=10 May 2012 |archive-url=https://archive.today/20120904142035/http://www.liverpoolairport.com/press-office/ryanair-s-new-routes-from-jla-take-off-in-style.html |archive-date=4 September 2012 }}</ref><ref>{{cite news |title=Liverpool John Lennon Airport Destination Map |url=http://www.liverpoolairport.com/flight-information/destination-map.html |access-date=10 May 2012}}</ref>
+[[Liverpool John Lennon Airport]] is the county's international airport. It is in [[Speke]], {{convert|6.5|mi}} south-east of Liverpool city centre, with 5 million departures in 2020.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Arrivals and departures at Liverpool John Lennon Airport 2020 |url=https://www.statista.com/statistics/467477/passengers-arrivals-and-departures-at-liverpool-john-lennon-airport-uk/ |access-date=20 June 2023 |website=Statista |language=en}}</ref> 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]].<ref>{{cite news |date=29 June 2011 |title=Liverpool John Lennon airport provides key tourism gateway |url=http://www.liverpooldailypost.co.uk/ldpbusiness/2011/06/29/liverpool-john-lennon-airport-provides-key-tourism-gateway-99623-28966834 |access-date=10 May 2012}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |title=Ryanair's New Routes from JLA Take Off In Style |url=http://www.liverpoolairport.com/press-office/ryanair-s-new-routes-from-jla-take-off-in-style.html |url-status=dead |access-date=10 May 2012 |archive-url=https://archive.today/20120904142035/http://www.liverpoolairport.com/press-office/ryanair-s-new-routes-from-jla-take-off-in-style.html |archive-date=4 September 2012 }}</ref><ref>{{cite news |title=Liverpool John Lennon Airport Destination Map |url=http://www.liverpoolairport.com/flight-information/destination-map.html |access-date=10 May 2012}}</ref>
 The airport is planning substantial expansion, and is forecast to handle more than 12{{nbsp}}million passengers by 2030, as well as targeting permanent direct long haul flights and significantly larger terminal facilities.<ref>{{cite news |title=Liverpool John Lennon Airport Master Plan |url=http://www.liverpoolairport.com/about-us/master-plan.html |access-date=10 May 2012}}</ref>
@@ Line 612: / Line 679: @@
 ==Sport==
 {{Further|Category:Sport in Merseyside}}
-Merseyside is host to several football league football clubs including [[Everton F.C.|Everton]], [[Liverpool F.C.|Liverpool]] and [[Tranmere Rovers F.C.|Tranmere Rovers]] 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.<ref>{{Cite web |date=10 March 2024 |title=Aintree Circuit :: Liverpool Motor Club |url=https://www.liverpoolmotorclub.com/about/aintree-circuit-map/ |access-date=25 March 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240310092342/https://www.liverpoolmotorclub.com/about/aintree-circuit-map/ |archive-date=10 March 2024 }}</ref> [[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)]].
+Merseyside is host to several football league football clubs including [[Everton F.C.|Everton]], [[Liverpool F.C.|Liverpool]] and [[Tranmere Rovers F.C.|Tranmere Rovers]] and several non-league football clubs including [[Marine A.F.C.]] and [[Southport F.C.]] The [[Totally Wicked Stadium|BrewDog Stadium]] hosts the [[St Helens R.F.C.|St Helens]] [[Rugby league|Rugby League]] team, and [[Liverpool F.C. Women|Liverpool FC Women]].
+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.<ref>{{Cite web |date=10 March 2024 |title=Aintree Circuit :: Liverpool Motor Club |url=https://www.liverpoolmotorclub.com/about/aintree-circuit-map/ |access-date=25 March 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240310092342/https://www.liverpoolmotorclub.com/about/aintree-circuit-map/ |archive-date=10 March 2024 }}</ref>
+[[Aintree Racecourse]] hosts the [[Grand National]], alongside [[Haydock Park Racecourse]], which hosts many other events. [[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==

Merseyside: Difference between revisions

Latest revision as of 20:54, 17 November 2025

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