Sefton
§ This page gives an overview of the Sefton local authority district, bringing together key facts, maps, and data to help you quickly understand the area. One of 361 district profiles on Baseview.
Overview ⁞ Sefton stretches along the Merseyside coast, from the resorts of Southport to the industrial docks of Bootle. Southport is a Victorian seaside town with a pier, marine lake, and extensive sand dunes, while Crosby is known for Antony Gormley’s “Another Place” sculptures on the beach. The Sefton Coast includes nature reserves, pine woodlands, and dune systems rich in wildlife. Inland towns such as Maghull and Formby add suburban and village character, while the Leeds and Liverpool Canal passes through, linking communities with waterways and green corridors.
The administrative boundary of Sefton can be viewed on OpenStreetMap: District Boundary of Sefton.
Key Facts about Sefton
What region is Sefton in? Sefton is in the North West of England, a region within the UK.
What county is Sefton in? Sefton is located in the county of Merseyside.
Is Sefton a city? No, Sefton is not a city. (Note: the UK has 76 officially designated cities.)
Who governs Sefton? The local government for this district is: Sefton Borough Council (Metropolitan District).
▶ Official website of Sefton Borough Council 🔗 sefton.gov.uk
Which police force covers Sefton? Policing in Sefton is provided by Merseyside Police 🔗 merseyside.police.uk, which serves 5 local authority districts: Knowsley ⁞ Liverpool ⁞ Sefton ⁞ St. Helens ⁞ Wirral.
Sefton in International Geographies
In the International Territorial Levels (ITLs) hierarchy, Sefton is an ITLs Level 3 area:
- (ITL 1) North West
- (ITL 2) ⇒ Merseyside
- (ITL 3) ⇒⇒ Sefton
The International Territorial Levels are used by OECD member countries for statistical purposes to classify administrative areas. We have this listable page for easy browsing of ITL names and codes: International Territorial Levels.
Constituencies in Sefton
A constituency is a specific geographical area that elects one Member of Parliament (MP) to represent them in the House of Commons. The United Kingdom is divided into 650 parliamentary constituencies. We have this list page for easy browsing of all UK parliamentary constituencies: List of Constituencies.
Wards in Sefton
Sefton is divided into 22 wards, listed below in alphabetical order.
- Ainsdale
- Birkdale
- Blundellsands
- Cambridge
- Church
- Derby
- Duke's
- Ford
- Harington
- Kew
- Linacre
- Litherland
- Manor
- Meols
- Molyneux
- Netherton and Orrell
- Norwood
- Park
- Ravenmeols
- St Oswald
- Sudell
- Victoria
In the UK, a ward is a subdivision of a local authority area, used mainly for electoral and statistical purposes. Defined by the ONS, wards represent the primary unit for local elections, each returning one or more councillors to the local council. Wards are also used as a key geography for presenting population and census data.
Parishes in Sefton
Sefton is part-parished: 10 civil parishes (listed A-Z below) alongside 4 unparished areas.
- Aintree Village
- Formby
- Hightown
- Ince Blundell
- Little Altcar
- Lydiate
- Maghull
- Melling
- Sefton
- Thornton
A civil parish is the lowest tier of local government in England, used for villages, small towns, and suburbs. They have their own local authority, either a parish council or a parish meeting, which provides local services like managing parks, allotments, and streetlights, and represents the community's views to larger councils.
Built-up Areas in Sefton
Sefton covers 12 built-up areas, listed below in alphabetical order.
- Aintree
- Bootle (Sefton) *
- Crosby (Sefton)
- Formby *
- Hightown (Sefton)
- Ince Blundell
- Kirkby *
- Litherland
- Liverpool *
- Lydiate
- Maghull *
- Southport *
In the UK, a Built-up Area (BUA) is a continuous urban area of at least 20 hectares (0.2 km²), defined by the ONS as land where buildings are generally no more than 200 metres apart, such as towns, cities, or large villages. (Note: A BUA name marked with an asterisk (*) indicates that the area is situated partly in the district of Sefton.)
Sefton compared with other districts in the UK
This section shows how Sefton compares with other local authority districts in the UK, using a variety of measures and rankings.
Sefton has 22 electoral wards.
Sefton has a population of 286,281 (2024 mid-year estimate by ONS)
More local statistics and data for Sefton can be found on the ONS statistics for Sefton.