The Ceremonial County of Merseyside
The County of Merseyside
The ceremonial counties of England are areas to which a Lord Lieutenant is appointed. Legally, they are defined by the Lieutenancies Act 1997 as counties and areas for the purposes of the Lieutenancies in Great Britain in contrast to the areas used for local government.
The County of Merseyside was established on 1st April 1974 and at that time Merseyside County Council was also formed, but it was abolished in 1986. Today there are five unitary authorities within the Ceremonial County of Merseyside - they are Liverpool, Knowsley, Sefton, St. Helens and Wirral. There are still some County bodies such as Merseyside Police and Merseyside Fire and Rescue, but most of the local authority services are undertaken by the five unitary authorities or regional bodies.
The Ceremonial County of Merseyside covers some 249 square miles and in 2019 was predicted to have a population of 1,429,910. Liverpool is an important tourist destination and was recognised as European Capital of Culture in 2008. The Port of Liverpool is the fourth busiest in the United Kingdom and ships some 32.5 million tons of freight each year. Since the Liverpool 2 Terminal opened for business in 2016, the port has been able to accommodate 95% of the world's ships and will take 20% of the UK's container business. The City is a great provider of further education with three Universities providing courses for some 50,000 students. The population of the city in 2019 was projected to be 498,042 with over 23,000 living in the city centre, a ten-fold increase in the city centre population in the last ten years.
The population of Knowsley in 2019 was projected to be 150,862. Knowsley has a mix of agriculture, industry and education. Knowsley Estate is prominent within the Borough and includes the Safari Park.
Sefton was projected to have a population in 2019 of 300,100 and is split into two distinct parts - to the South of the borough is an urban area with the docks and to the North, there are leisure activities and beaches which are the principal attractions of Southport and Formby, both popular resorts.
Historically, St. Helens was well known for its coal mining, glass manufacture and chemicals. Today the manufacturing of glass is the only industry to have survived. In recent times, the Borough has developed other industries and attracted new companies. In 2019 it was predicted to have a population of 180,585.
The Wirral Peninsula is surrounded by the Dee Estuary, Irish Sea and River Mersey. The area is well known for Cammell Laird which is a world leader specialising in military ship refit, commercial ship repair, upgrade and conversion, and shipbuilding. The business is further active in the industrial services and energy sector. It has become a hub of the off-shore wind industry seeing major investment in its port side infrastructure and facilities. The company is also working in the civil nuclear sector. Other equally successful businesses occupy parts of the East Wirral. Most of the Western side is countryside, including nature reserves and sandy beaches with rambling, sailing and golf being popular pastimes. The population of the Wirral was projected to be 324,011 in 2019.
The County of Merseyside was established on 1st April 1974 and at that time Merseyside County Council was also formed, but it was abolished in 1986. Today there are five unitary authorities within the Ceremonial County of Merseyside - they are Liverpool, Knowsley, Sefton, St. Helens and Wirral. There are still some County bodies such as Merseyside Police and Merseyside Fire and Rescue, but most of the local authority services are undertaken by the five unitary authorities or regional bodies.
The Ceremonial County of Merseyside covers some 249 square miles and in 2019 was predicted to have a population of 1,429,910. Liverpool is an important tourist destination and was recognised as European Capital of Culture in 2008. The Port of Liverpool is the fourth busiest in the United Kingdom and ships some 32.5 million tons of freight each year. Since the Liverpool 2 Terminal opened for business in 2016, the port has been able to accommodate 95% of the world's ships and will take 20% of the UK's container business. The City is a great provider of further education with three Universities providing courses for some 50,000 students. The population of the city in 2019 was projected to be 498,042 with over 23,000 living in the city centre, a ten-fold increase in the city centre population in the last ten years.
The population of Knowsley in 2019 was projected to be 150,862. Knowsley has a mix of agriculture, industry and education. Knowsley Estate is prominent within the Borough and includes the Safari Park.
Sefton was projected to have a population in 2019 of 300,100 and is split into two distinct parts - to the South of the borough is an urban area with the docks and to the North, there are leisure activities and beaches which are the principal attractions of Southport and Formby, both popular resorts.
Historically, St. Helens was well known for its coal mining, glass manufacture and chemicals. Today the manufacturing of glass is the only industry to have survived. In recent times, the Borough has developed other industries and attracted new companies. In 2019 it was predicted to have a population of 180,585.
The Wirral Peninsula is surrounded by the Dee Estuary, Irish Sea and River Mersey. The area is well known for Cammell Laird which is a world leader specialising in military ship refit, commercial ship repair, upgrade and conversion, and shipbuilding. The business is further active in the industrial services and energy sector. It has become a hub of the off-shore wind industry seeing major investment in its port side infrastructure and facilities. The company is also working in the civil nuclear sector. Other equally successful businesses occupy parts of the East Wirral. Most of the Western side is countryside, including nature reserves and sandy beaches with rambling, sailing and golf being popular pastimes. The population of the Wirral was projected to be 324,011 in 2019.