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Town Hall & politics · Wirral Council

No party holds a majority on Wirral Council

Heswall is run by Wirral Council. No party holds a majority on Wirral Council. Its MP is Matthew Patrick (Labour), member for Wirral West.

Council tax 2026–27

£2,501

Band D, a year, the middle band every council sets its tax from.

Where it goes →
Band D council tax
£2,501
2026–27, a year
Ward councillors
9
3 wards · Wirral
MP
Matthew Patrick
Labour · Wirral West
Turnout, July 2024
69%
Wirral West · England 60%
What stands out · In brief

How Heswall’s politics has changed since 2021

No majority on Wirral Council

Labour, the largest group, holds 30 of its 66 seats as elected, 4 short of the 34 needed. The Conservatives hold 17, the Greens 13 and the Liberal Democrats 6. Who’s in charge ↓

The 2023 vote

Across Heswall’s wards, the Conservatives took 40.8%, Labour took 35.5% and the Liberal Democrats took 15.7% of votes in May 2023. In 2022, the Conservatives had 41.4%. How Heswall has voted ↓

Council tax

A Band D bill in Heswall is £2,501 for 2026–27; Wirral Council keeps 83% of it. The council area’s Band D has risen 60% in ten years, against England’s 56%. Council money ↓

Written from the data on this page: Democracy Club results since May 2021, the UK Parliament Members API and MHCLG council tax.

Who’s in charge

No party has a majority

Seats by party as elected. A party needs 34 of Wirral’s 66 seats to run the council alone.

Metropolitan borough council · 66 councillorsWirral CouncilNo overall control
GreenGreenGreenGreenGreenGreenGreenGreenGreenGreenGreenGreenGreenLabourLabourLabourLabourLabourLabourLabourLabourLabourLabourLabourLabourLabourLabourLabourLabourLabourLabourLabourLabourLabourLabourLabourLabourLabourLabourLabourLabourLabourLabourLiberal DemocratLiberal DemocratLiberal DemocratLiberal DemocratLiberal DemocratLiberal DemocratConservativeConservativeConservativeConservativeConservativeConservativeConservativeConservativeConservativeConservativeConservativeConservativeConservativeConservativeConservativeConservativeConservative66seats
  • Labour30
  • Conservative17
  • Green13
  • Liberal Democrat6

Latest election: May 2023.

GreenLabourLiberal DemocratConservative

Seats are counted from election results: each ward’s most recent winners until its seats are filled. Councillors who have since changed party or resigned aren’t reflected, and which parties lead the council, and who is leader, comes from the council itself.

Results: Democracy Club (CC BY 4.0), elections since May 2021; seats per ward from its EveryElection.

Who runs Heswall

The councils that run Heswall

One council runs every main service here.

Metropolitan borough councilWirral Council

Every main council service: schools, social care, roads, bins, planning, housing and libraries.

Website ↗
Combined authorityLiverpool City Region

Transport, skills and regeneration across several council areas.

Who to ask

Bins and recyclingWirral Council
Planning applicationsWirral Council
Council housing and homelessnessWirral Council
Council tax billsWirral Council
Parks and leisure centresWirral Council
Potholes, roads and streetlightsWirral Council
Schools and school placesWirral Council
Adult and children’s social careWirral Council
LibrariesWirral Council
Tips and recycling centresWirral Council
Bus and transport plansLiverpool City Region combined authority
Police priorities and budgetMerseyside Police police and crime commissioner
Fire safety visitsMerseyside Fire and Rescue

From GOV.UK’s “Understand how your council works”: here one council runs every main service.

All of Heswall is unparished: there is no parish or town council, so the council runs local matters itself and no parish precept is added to the bill.

Councils from ONS lookups (wards and councils May 2026, parishes 2025), names and websites from GOV.UK’s local council finder; parish councils from MHCLG’s 2026–27 list of precepting parishes.

Who represents Heswall

From the council to Westminster

Every elected tier that speaks for Heswall, from the most recent elections.

  1. 1
    Wirral Council3 wards · 9 councillors
    Labour 6 · Conservative 3 · all 9
  2. 2
    Police and crime commissionerMerseyside Police · elected May 2024
    Emily Spurrell
  3. 3
    House of CommonsWirral West
Labour

Party colours are neutral on purpose: they tell parties apart and aren’t the parties’ own. Tap an MP’s name for their contact page on parliament.uk.

Councillors

9 councillors for 3 wards

Wards with at least 2% of the town’s residents, or half their own inside it. Each shows who won its most recent elections, newest first, until its seats are filled.

HeswallGreasby, Frankby and IrbyPensby and Thingwall
Each dot is a group of postcodes, shaded by the party that won its ward’s latest election. Tap a ward for its councillors.
Heswall
12,828 residents
  • Andrew HodsonConservative · May 2023
  • Kathy HodsonConservative · May 2023
  • Graham DaviesConservative · May 2023
Pensby and Thingwall
12,253 residents · 95% in Heswall
  • Ann Clarissa AinsworthLabour · May 2023
  • Mike SullivanLabour · May 2023
  • Richie PittLabour · May 2023
Greasby, Frankby and Irby
4,001 residents · 28% in Heswall
  • Gail JenkinsonLabour · May 2023
  • Grahame Ernest McManusLabour · May 2023
  • Mark Stephen SkillicornLabour · May 2023
LabourConservative
Show as a table
WardSeatsElectedWhen
Heswallall in Heswall · 12,828 residents3 seats · May 20233
Andrew HodsonKathy HodsonGraham Davies
May 2023
Pensby and Thingwallmostly in Heswall · 12,253 residents3 seats · May 20233
Ann Clarissa AinsworthMike SullivanRichie Pitt
May 2023
Greasby, Frankby and Irby28% in Heswall · 4,001 residents3 seats · May 20233
Gail JenkinsonGrahame Ernest McManusMark Stephen Skillicorn
May 2023

Councillors can resign, change party or sit as independents between elections; a by-election winner replaces someone not named here. Wirral Council’s website lists who sits now.

Results from Democracy Club’s candidates database (CC BY 4.0; elections since May 2021) and ward seats from its EveryElection, matched to ONS wards (May 2026) and county divisions (May 2025).

How Heswall has voted

The Conservatives have led every council vote since 2021

Share of all votes cast for candidates in Heswall’s wards at each scheduled council election since 2021. A gap is a year with no election here.

0%10%20%30%40%50%60%202120222023Green, 2021: 9.2%Green, 2022: 8.5%Green, 2023: 7%Labour, 2021: 29.9%Labour, 2022: 33.1%Labour, 2023: 35.5%Liberal Democrat, 2021: 7.5%Liberal Democrat, 2022: 17%Liberal Democrat, 2023: 15.7%Conservative, 2021: 53%Conservative, 2022: 41.4%Conservative, 2023: 40.8%Conservative 41%Labour 35%Liberal Democrat 16%Green 7%

Seats won at each election

2021
3 seats · Conservative 3
2022
3 seats · Conservative 3
2023
9 seats · Labour 6 · Conservative 3
GreenLabourLiberal DemocratConservative
Show as a table
Party202120222023
Green9.2%8.5%7%
Labour29.9%33.1%35.5%
Liberal Democrat7.5%17%15.7%
Conservative53%41.4%40.8%

In 2023, Labour won 6 and the Conservatives won 3 of the 9 seats up in Heswall’s wards.

Results: Democracy Club (CC BY 4.0). Where a ward elects several councillors at once, each voter has that many votes; all of them count here.

Local elections

Wirral council election, May 2023

Results in the wards that make up Heswall, as declared. Percentages are of votes cast for candidates in each ward; where a ward elects several councillors, each voter has that many votes.

Seats won in Heswall’s wards9 seats · 4 May 2023
Labour6
Conservative3

3 wards voted. Every seat in the town’s wards was up.

Next elections

No election is scheduled yet for Heswall’s wards in Democracy Club’s list. Councils publish a notice of election about five weeks before polling day.

Who can I vote for? ↗
Heswall4 May 2023
Andrew Hodson ElectedConservative16.1%
Kathy Hodson ElectedConservative15.2%
Graham Davies ElectedConservative14.9%
Elizabeth BrameLiberal Democrat14.8%
Phil WaterfieldLiberal Democrat13.6%
David Barrie JonesLiberal Democrat12.1%
Sophia BallantyneLabour5.0%
Michael James RoydenLabour4.0%
Jimmy SergiLabour3.7%
Donna Lyons-WheartyFor Future's Sake0.5%

14,572 votes for candidates · 3 seats, so 3 votes each

Pensby and Thingwall4 May 2023
Ann Clarissa Ainsworth ElectedLabour16.3%
Mike Sullivan ElectedLabour15.7%
Richie Pitt ElectedLabour14.5%
Mike CollinsConservative13.6%
Ivan CamphorConservative12.4%
Leah FraserConservative12.1%
Allen John BurtonGreen4.2%
Marilyn Ruth JonesGreen4.0%
Judith WolfLiberal Democrat3.4%
Mark Richard ReevesGreen3.1%
William ParryFor Future's Sake0.7%

13,028 votes for candidates · 3 seats, so 3 votes each

Greasby, Frankby and Irby4 May 2023
Gail Jenkinson ElectedLabour17.4%
Grahame Ernest McManus ElectedLabour15.9%
Mark Stephen Skillicorn ElectedLabour14.1%
Tracy ElzeinyConservative13.2%
David James FairbairnConservative12.6%
Darren Richard MayConservative12.2%
Miriam Natalia CookeGreen3.8%
Tom GreenGreen3.4%
Alan BrighouseLiberal Democrat2.8%
Cathy PageGreen2.6%
David Burgess-JoyceIndependent1.2%
Rosie EvansFor Future's Sake0.6%

15,712 votes for candidates · 3 seats, so 3 votes each

LabourConservativeLiberal DemocratGreenIndependentOther parties

Candidates and results: Democracy Club (CC BY 4.0), from councils’ declared results; polling dates from Democracy Club’s EveryElection.

Parliament

Heswall is in Wirral West constituency

The constituency’s MP and the 4 July 2024 general election, the whole constituency’s result (it reaches beyond Heswall).

Wirral West · general election4 July 2024
Matthew Patrick ElectedLabour46.4%
Jenny JohnsonConservative26.3%
Ken FergusonReform UK12.9%
Gail JenkinsonGreen8.3%
Peter ReisdorfLiberal Democrat6.1%

49,951 votes for candidates · majority 9,998

MP for Wirral West

Matthew Patrick

Labour, MP since 4 July 2024.

69%

turnout in July 2024: 49,951 votes from 72,838 registered voters. England: 60%.

Majority 9,998 of 49,951 votes (20%): wider than in 67% of England’s 543 constituencies.

LabourConservativeLiberal DemocratReform UKGreen

MPs and results: UK Parliament Members API (Open Parliament Licence v3.0); constituencies from ONS (2024 boundaries). Percentages are of valid votes; turnout is votes cast over the electorate.

Council money

Heswall’s Band D council tax is £2,501 a year

Where a Band D bill goes, what it has cost over the years, and what the councils plan to spend per resident.

COUNCIL TAXBand D · 2026–27 · a Band D home in the unparished part of Wirral
Wirral Councilcouncil£2,081.37
Liverpool City Region Combined Authoritycombined authority£24.00
Merseyside police and crime commissionerpolice and crime£293.97
Merseyside Fire and Rescue Authorityfire and rescue£101.25
A year£2,500.59
Bills by band run from 6/9 of Band D (Band A) to 18/9 (Band H). Discounts and support reduce many bills.

Wirral Council keeps £2,081.37 of a Band D bill (83%); the rest goes to the Liverpool City Region Combined Authority, the Merseyside police and crime commissioner and the Merseyside Fire and Rescue Authority.

Band D since 1993

£0£500£1K£1.5K£2K£2.5K£3K1995200020052010201520202025England, 1993–94: £567.95England, 1994–95: £580.11England, 1995–96: £609.00England, 1996–97: £646.00England, 1997–98: £688.00England, 1998–99: £747.00England, 1999–00: £798.00England, 2000–01: £847.00England, 2001–02: £901.33England, 2002–03: £975.56England, 2003–04: £1,101.75England, 2004–05: £1,166.56England, 2005–06: £1,213.81England, 2006–07: £1,267.91England, 2007–08: £1,321.32England, 2008–09: £1,373.08England, 2009–10: £1,413.84England, 2010–11: £1,439.22England, 2011–12: £1,439.33England, 2012–13: £1,444.13England, 2013–14: £1,455.60England, 2014–15: £1,467.98England, 2015–16: £1,483.58England, 2016–17: £1,529.56England, 2017–18: £1,590.55England, 2018–19: £1,671.46England, 2019–20: £1,749.88England, 2020–21: £1,817.67England, 2021–22: £1,898.48England, 2022–23: £1,965.71England, 2023–24: £2,065.05England, 2024–25: £2,170.99England, 2025–26: £2,280.21England, 2026–27: £2,391.52Wirral, 1993–94: £689.63Wirral, 1994–95: £684.00Wirral, 1995–96: £747.00Wirral, 1996–97: £792.18Wirral, 1997–98: £857.93Wirral, 1998–99: £913.99Wirral, 1999–00: £977.00Wirral, 2000–01: £1,030.72Wirral, 2001–02: £1,077.24Wirral, 2002–03: £1,077.24Wirral, 2003–04: £1,151.46Wirral, 2004–05: £1,175.16Wirral, 2005–06: £1,221.96Wirral, 2006–07: £1,276.60Wirral, 2007–08: £1,329.94Wirral, 2008–09: £1,378.65Wirral, 2009–10: £1,440.16Wirral, 2010–11: £1,464.20Wirral, 2011–12: £1,464.20Wirral, 2012–13: £1,471.18Wirral, 2013–14: £1,500.59Wirral, 2014–15: £1,504.96Wirral, 2015–16: £1,509.41Wirral, 2016–17: £1,564.95Wirral, 2017–18: £1,635.90Wirral, 2018–19: £1,733.72Wirral, 2019–20: £1,823.23Wirral, 2020–21: £1,895.58Wirral, 2021–22: £1,991.24Wirral, 2022–23: £2,052.58Wirral, 2023–24: £2,158.06Wirral, 2024–25: £2,263.44Wirral, 2025–26: £2,381.66Wirral, 2026–27: £2,500.59Wirral £2,501England £2,392

Wirral’s Band D bill has risen 60% in ten years, from £1,564.95 in 2016–17, against England’s average (56%). It was £689.63 in 1993–94.

Your bill by band

Band A 6/9£1,667
Band B 7/9£1,945
Band C 8/9£2,223
Band D 9/9£2,501
Band E 11/9£3,056
Band F 13/9£3,612
Band G 15/9£4,168
Band H 18/9£5,001

A Band D home in the unparished part of Wirral, 2026–27, before discounts. The Valuation Office Agency’s band search gives any home’s band.

Merseyside’s councils

St. Helens£2,403
Knowsley£2,488
Wirral£2,501
Sefton£2,583
Liverpool£2,674

Average Band D in each council area, 2026–27, parish precepts included. Bars start at £2,300.

Council budgets per resident, 2026–27

ServiceWirralvs England
Adult social care£572+£85
Children’s social care£296+£6
Roads and transport£31−£10
Housing (not council homes’ rents)£43−£18
Bins, street cleaning, environment£67−£52
Libraries, leisure, culture£54+£10
Planning and development£17−£9
Public health£129+£51
Running the council£69+£10
Other£32+£13
Heswall’s councils, per residentEngland, all councils
Show as a table, with Merseyside
WirralHeswall’s councilsMerseysideEngland
Adult social care£572£572£487
Children’s social care£296£355£290
Roads and transport£31£19£41
Housing (not council homes’ rents)£43£73£61
Bins, street cleaning, environment£67£73£119
Libraries, leisure, culture£54£60£44
Planning and development£17£54£26
Public health£129£122£78
Running the council£69£59£59
Other£32£41£19
Total, schools apart£1,309£1,428£1,234

Net budgeted service spending, MHCLG Revenue Account budget 2026–27, per resident (ONS mid-2025 estimates). Schools are left out: academies are paid for directly by government, so council school budgets depend on how many schools have converted. Merseyside and England: all their councils together. Police, fire and transport authorities aren’t included.

Band D: MHCLG Band D council tax 2026–27 (each authority’s own figure, excluding parish precepts) and Council Tax statistics for town and parish councils 2026–27; since 1993–94, MHCLG’s area averages including parishes.

Get involved

Having a say in how Heswall is run

Register to vote

It takes about five minutes online; the deadline is 12 working days before a poll.

gov.uk ↗
Contact your councillors or MP

Type a postcode to write to each of its councillors and its MP.

WriteToThem ↗
Report a pothole or a broken streetlight

GOV.UK sends the report to the council that looks after the road.

gov.uk ↗
Watch or speak at a council meeting

Council and committee meetings are open to the public, with agendas and minutes online.

wirral.gov.uk ↗
Comment on a planning application

Anyone can comment while an application is open for consultation.

wirral.gov.uk ↗
Stand for election

The rules, nomination papers and guidance for council candidates.

Electoral Commission ↗

Questions about how Heswall is run

Does Heswall have a town council?

No. Heswall is unparished, so there is no town or parish council and no parish precept.

Who is the MP for Heswall?

Matthew Patrick (Labour) is the MP for Wirral West, which covers Heswall.

How many councillors does Heswall have?

9 ward councillors represent Heswall’s 3 wards.

When are the next elections in Heswall?

No election is scheduled yet in Democracy Club’s list for Heswall’s wards. The next UK general election must be held by August 2029.

How much is council tax in Heswall?

Band D council tax in Heswall is £2,501 for 2026–27. Your bill depends on your home’s band, from A (6/9 of Band D) to H (18/9).

Who controls Wirral Council?

No party has a majority. As elected, Labour 30 · Conservative 17 · Green 13 · Liberal Democrat 6 of 66 seats; a majority needs 34. The council’s website lists who leads it now.

Who won the 2023 council election in Heswall?

In Heswall’s wards on 4 May 2023, Labour 6 · Conservative 3 of the 9 seats up. The Conservatives had the largest share of votes, 40.8%.

Sources: ONS ward, county division, parish, constituency lookups (Census 2021 output areas; Open Government Licence v3.0) · GOV.UK local council finder · Democracy Club candidates (CC BY 4.0) and EveryElection · UK Parliament Members API (Open Parliament Licence v3.0) · MHCLG Band D council tax, parish precepts and Revenue Account budgets 2026–27 (OGL v3.0) · ONS mid-2025 population estimates. Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Contains Parliamentary information licensed under the Open Parliament Licence v3.0.

Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Contains HM Land Registry data © Crown copyright and database right 2026. Contains OS data © Crown copyright and database right 2026 (ONS boundaries). Northern Ireland: Source: NISRA; contains Land & Property Services data and Ordnance Survey of Northern Ireland information, © Crown copyright, licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Scotland: contains National Records of Scotland data, Registers of Scotland data and SEPA data, © Crown copyright / © SEPA 2025, licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.