St. Helens
§ This page gives an overview of the St. Helens 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 ⁞ St. Helens, in Merseyside, is a town known for its glassmaking heritage and industrial history. The town centre includes The World of Glass museum, showcasing its famous industry, while nearby parks and lakes provide green spaces. Villages and suburbs such as Rainhill, Newton-le-Willows, and Eccleston offer historic churches and residential character. The landscape is a mix of urban areas, reclaimed industrial land, and countryside, with the Sankey Valley and Carr Mill Dam providing natural retreats.
St. Helens Boundary Map
This map shows the official boundary of the St. Helens local authority district, based on the latest geographic data published by the Office for National Statistics (ONS). It provides a clear view of the district’s extent and helps you understand how the area fits within the wider regional and national landscape.
Contains OS data © Crown copyright and database right 2025. Source: Office for National Statistics licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.
The administrative boundary of St. Helens can also be viewed on OpenStreetMap: District Boundary of St. Helens.
Key Facts about St. Helens
What region is St. Helens in? St. Helens is in the North West of England, a region within the UK.
What county is St. Helens in? St. Helens is located in the county of Merseyside.
Is St. Helens a city? No, St. Helens is not a city. (Note: the UK has 76 officially designated cities.)
Who governs St. Helens? The local government for this district is: St Helens Borough Council (Metropolitan District).
▶ Official website of St Helens Borough Council 🔗 sthelens.gov.uk
Which police force covers St. Helens? Policing in St. Helens is provided by Merseyside Police 🔗 merseyside.police.uk, which serves 5 local authority districts: Knowsley ⁞ Liverpool ⁞ Sefton ⁞ St. Helens ⁞ Wirral.
Constituencies in St. Helens
St. Helens is divided into 2 parliamentary constituencies, listed below in alphabetical order.
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 St. Helens
St. Helens is divided into 18 wards, listed below in alphabetical order.
- Billinge & Seneley Green
- Blackbrook
- Bold & Lea Green
- Eccleston
- Haydock
- Moss Bank
- Newton-le-Willows East
- Newton-le-Willows West
- Parr
- Peasley Cross & Fingerpost
- Rainford
- Rainhill
- St Helens Town Centre
- Sutton North West
- Sutton South East
- Thatto Heath
- West Park
- Windle
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 St. Helens
St. Helens is part-parished: 7 civil parishes (listed A-Z below) alongside 4 unparished areas.
- Billinge Chapel End
- Bold
- Eccleston
- Rainford
- Rainhill
- Seneley Green
- Windle
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 St. Helens
St. Helens covers 12 built-up areas, listed below in alphabetical order.
- Ashton-in-Makerfield *
- Billinge *
- Burtonwood *
- Golborne *
- Haydock
- Newton-le-Willows *
- Orrell *
- Prescot *
- Rainford
- St Helens (St. Helens) *
- Warrington *
- Widnes *
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 St. Helens.)
St. Helens compared with other districts in the UK
This section shows how St. Helens compares with other local authority districts in the UK, using a variety of measures and rankings.
St. Helens has 18 electoral wards.
St. Helens has a population of 188,861 (2024 mid-year estimate by ONS)
More local statistics and data for St. Helens can be found on the ONS statistics for St. Helens.