Unitary authority area in Cheshire, England
Borough and unitary authority in England
Halton
(
) is a
local government district
with
borough status
in the
ceremonial county
of
Cheshire
,
North West England
. The borough was created in 1974 and contains the towns of
Runcorn
and
Widnes
and the
civil parishes
of
Daresbury
,
Hale
,
Halebank
,
Moore
,
Preston Brook
, and
Sandymoor
.
[5]
Since 1998,
Halton Borough Council
has been a
unitary authority
, being a
district council
which also performs the functions of a
county council
.
[6]
Since 2014, it has been a member of the
Liverpool City Region Combined Authority
.
The neighbouring districts (clockwise from west) are
Liverpool
,
Knowsley
,
St Helens
,
Warrington
and
Cheshire West and Chester
.
History
[
edit
]
The
River Mersey
marks the boundary of the
historic counties
of
Lancashire
(to the north) and
Cheshire
(to the south). Before 1974, Widnes was administered by the
Municipal Borough of Widnes
in Lancashire, and Runcorn by
Runcorn Urban District Council
in Cheshire.
The 1969
Redcliffe-Maud Report
recommended reforms to local government in England, including the abolition of all existing local government areas. They were to be replaced by mostly
unitary authorities
with the exception of three two-tier metropolitan areas to be called Merseyside,
SELNEC
and West Midlands. Runcorn and Widnes would form part of the new Merseyside Metropolitan Area under a district called 'St Helens-Widnes'.
[7]
The proposals were broadly accepted by the then Labour government but set aside by the incoming Conservative government following the
1970 general election
which it had fought on a manifesto pledge to introduce a system of two-tier local government.
[8]
The
Local Government Act 1972
created new
metropolitan counties
around Liverpool (as Merseyside) and Manchester (as
Greater Manchester
) but Runcorn and Widnes would not be allocated to either. Instead, Widnes and Warrington would be moved into the
non-metropolitan county
of Cheshire, with Widnes joining Runcorn to create the new
non-metropolitan district
of Halton. The name of the new district was inspired by the ancient
Barony of Halton
which had possessed land on both sides of the river. The district was established on 1 April 1974. In addition to Runcorn Urban District and the Municipal Borough of Widnes, parts of
Runcorn Rural District
and the parish of
Hale
from
Whiston Rural District
were incorporated into Halton.
On 1 April 1998, Halton became a
unitary authority
, independent of
Cheshire County Council
. However, it continues to be served by
Cheshire Police
and
Cheshire Fire and Rescue Service
, and forms part of Cheshire for
ceremonial
purposes. On 1 April 2014, Halton became part of the
Liverpool City Region Combined Authority
, joining the local authorities of
Liverpool
,
Sefton
,
Wirral
,
Knowsley
and
St Helens
; 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.
[9]
Demographics
[
edit
]
Population growth
[
edit
]
The population of Halton is 128,964 (2022).
[3]
Although the borough was only created in 1974, the change in population since 1801 has been calculated by adapting historical census data to modern boundaries.
[10]
Population growth in the Borough of Halton since 1801
[11]
[4]
Year
|
Population
|
Change as %
|
1801
|
6,460
|
?
|
1811
|
7,491
|
+16.0%
|
1821
|
8,962
|
+19.6%
|
1831
|
10,918
|
+21.8%
|
1841
|
13,364
|
+22.4%
|
1851
|
16,296
|
+21.9%
|
1861
|
17,678
|
+8.5%
|
1871
|
?
|
?
|
1881
|
46,181
|
?
|
1891
|
58,042
|
+25.7%
|
1901
|
?
|
?
|
1911
|
56,656
|
?
|
1921
|
61,977
|
+9.4%
|
1931
|
64,979
|
+4.8%
|
1941
|
?
|
?
|
1951
|
80,072
|
?
|
1961
|
82,119
|
+2.6%
|
1971
|
99,749
|
+21.5%
|
1981
|
129,187
|
+29.5%
|
1991
|
128,525
|
-0.5%
|
2001
|
118,242
|
-8.0%
|
2011
|
125,746
|
+6.3%
|
2021
|
128,478
|
+2.2%
|
Religion
[
edit
]
In the 2021 census, Christianity was the main religion in Halton at 58.6%, above the national average for England of 46.3% but down from 75% in 2011. 35.2% stated that they had 'no religion'. Those stating their religion as Buddhist, Hindu, Jewish, Muslim, Sikh or other amounted to 1.6%.
[4]
Ethnicity
[
edit
]
In the 2021 census, 96.5% of Halton residents identified as White and 3.5% as non-White or mixed. 95.2% were born in the United Kingdom.
[4]
Governance
[
edit
]
Halton Borough Council
is a unitary authority responsible for most local government functions within the area. The
Labour Party
has controlled the council since it was created in 1974.
[12]
On 1 April 2014, Halton became one of the six constituent local government districts of the
Liverpool City Region
under the
Combined Authority
.
[13]
Most of the borough is represented in the
House of Commons
by the
member for Halton
but Runcorn New Town is in the
Weaver Vale constituency
.
Economy
[
edit
]
In 2021, the borough's total
GVA
was £4.0 billion with a total
GDP
of £4.5 billion.
[14]
GVA per capita in Halton was £31,390 and GDP per capita was £34,985, the highest in the Liverpool City Region.
[14]
In 2022, there were 67,000 jobs in Halton, including the self-employed.
[15]
The borough is an industrial, scientific and logistics hub with a higher proportion of jobs in these industries, and proportionally fewer jobs in hospitality and education compared to
Great Britain
.
[15]
Proportionally more jobs were full-time roles.
[15]
In the period October 2022 to September 2023, the employment rate in Halton was 76.6%, higher than the average rate for Great Britain of 75.8%. Unemployment was 2.9% compared to 3.7% for Great Britain.
[15]
However, people in Halton are qualified to a lower level than the average for the North West or Great Britain.
[15]
In 2023, the gross
median
weekly wage for full time workers living in Halton was £664. Although higher than the regional median of £649, it is lower than the £682.60 for Great Britain.
[15]
Twin boroughs
[
edit
]
Halton is twinned with:
Following an appeal in 1997, Halton residents donated 1,000 English books to
Jan Evangelista Purkyn? University in Usti nad Labem
.
[16]
In 1999, an historic Halton Transport bus was restored and gifted to the Czech Republic to mark the centenary of public transport in the city.
[17]
Engineers from Halton have assisted with chemical decontamination in the city and also when the city flooded in 2002.
[18]
The first crazy golf course in Berlin, created in Marzahn-Hellersdorf in 2005, contains several Halton landmarks and was constructed with the assistance of exchange students from the borough.
[19]
Several roads are named after Halton's twin boroughs, including Leiria Way in Runcorn and Marzahn Way in Widnes.
[20]
A Chinese friendship garden was created in the grounds of Runcorn Town Hall in 2006, including a bronze statue gifted by the twin city of Tongling.
[21]
See also
[
edit
]
References
[
edit
]
- ^
"Council and Democracy"
.
Halton Borough Council
. Retrieved
19 May
2024
.
- ^
"Mid-Year Population Estimates, UK, June 2022"
.
Office for National Statistics
. 26 March 2024
. Retrieved
3 May
2024
.
- ^
a
b
"Mid-Year Population Estimates, UK, June 2022"
.
Office for National Statistics
. 26 March 2024
. Retrieved
3 May
2024
.
- ^
a
b
c
d
e
UK Census
(2021).
"2021 Census Area Profile ? Halton Local Authority (E06000006)"
.
Nomis
.
Office for National Statistics
. Retrieved
8 August
2023
.
- ^
"Parish Councils"
. Halton Borough Council.
Archived
from the original on 19 July 2018
. Retrieved
19 July
2018
.
- ^
"Unitary Authority"
. Halton Borough Council. Archived from
the original
on 22 September 2008
. Retrieved
19 January
2009
.
- ^
Wood, Bruce (1976).
The process of local government reform 1966?74
. London:
Allen and Unwin
.
ISBN
0-04-350052-8
.
- ^
"1970 Conservative Party Manifesto"
.
conservativemanifesto.com
.
Archived
from the original on 4 June 2021
. Retrieved
18 October
2020
.
- ^
Clay, Oliver,
Halton to become part of Liverpool city region
, Runcorn & Widnes Weekly News, archived from
the original
on 27 July 2011
, retrieved
15 January
2009
- ^
"FAQ: Working with our Statistical Data"
.
A Vision of Britain Through Time
. University of Portsmouth
. Retrieved
11 August
2023
.
- ^
"Halton UA through time - Population Statistics"
.
A Vision of Britain Through Time
. University of Portsmouth.
Archived
from the original on 20 July 2020
. Retrieved
11 August
2023
.
- ^
"Halton"
.
BBC News Online
. 19 April 2008.
Archived
from the original on 5 May 2008
. Retrieved
3 March
2010
.
- ^
"Proposal to establish a combined authority for Greater Merseyside"
(PDF)
. Department for Communities and Local Government. November 2013.
Archived
(PDF)
from the original on 11 December 2013
. Retrieved
10 December
2013
.
- ^
a
b
Fenton, Trevor (25 April 2023).
"Regional gross domestic product: local authorities"
.
Office for National Statistics
. Retrieved
13 December
2023
.
- ^
a
b
c
d
e
f
"Labour Market Profile - Halton"
.
Nomis
. Office for National Statistics
. Retrieved
17 February
2024
.
- ^
"Thanks to Halton"
.
Warrington Guardian
. Newsquest Media Group Ltd. 8 April 1997.
Archived
from the original on 18 February 2022
. Retrieved
2 November
2020
.
- ^
"Halton - Usti nad Labem City Hall"
.
Usti nad Labem City Council
.
Archived
from the original on 1 December 2020
. Retrieved
2 November
2020
.
- ^
"Forgiving but not forgetting Czechs' war"
.
Cheshire Live
. Reach plc. 19 May 2005.
Archived
from the original on 18 February 2022
. Retrieved
2 November
2020
.
- ^
"Golf course putts Halton on the map"
.
Cheshire Live
. Reach plc. 25 August 2005.
Archived
from the original on 18 February 2022
. Retrieved
2 November
2020
.
- ^
"Going Deutsche"
.
Warrington Guardian
. Newsquest Media Group Ltd. 21 July 2004.
Archived
from the original on 18 February 2022
. Retrieved
2 November
2020
.
- ^
"Friendship garden is full of Eastern promise"
.
Cheshire Live
. Reach plc. 22 June 2006.
Archived
from the original on 1 February 2021
. Retrieved
2 November
2020
.
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