Wirral
§ This page gives an overview of the Wirral 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 ⁞ The Wirral Peninsula lies between the River Dee and the River Mersey, offering a mix of coastline, countryside, and suburban towns. Birkenhead, with its historic park designed by Joseph Paxton, is the largest town, while West Kirby and Hoylake provide seaside charm with sandy beaches and sailing. The Wirral Coastline includes dramatic cliffs at Thurstaston, marshes along the Dee Estuary, and the famous Hilbre Islands nature reserve. Villages such as Port Sunlight, a model village built by the Lever Brothers, highlight its unique heritage. The combination of estuaries, beaches, and countryside gives Wirral a diverse landscape.
The administrative boundary of Wirral can be viewed on OpenStreetMap: District Boundary of Wirral.
Key Facts about Wirral
What region is Wirral in? Wirral is in the North West of England, a region within the UK.
What county is Wirral in? Wirral is located in the county of Merseyside.
Is Wirral a city? No, Wirral is not a city. (Note: the UK has 76 officially designated cities.)
Who governs Wirral? The local government for this district is: Wirral Borough Council (Metropolitan District).
▶ Official website of Wirral Borough Council 🔗 wirral.gov.uk
Which police force covers Wirral? Policing in Wirral is provided by Merseyside Police 🔗 merseyside.police.uk, which serves 5 local authority districts: Knowsley ⁞ Liverpool ⁞ Sefton ⁞ St. Helens ⁞ Wirral.
Wirral in International Geographies
In the International Territorial Levels (ITLs) hierarchy, Wirral is an ITLs Level 3 area:
- (ITL 1) North West
- (ITL 2) ⇒ Merseyside
- (ITL 3) ⇒⇒ Wirral
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 Wirral
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 Wirral
Wirral is divided into 22 wards, listed below in alphabetical order.
- Bebington
- Bidston and St James
- Birkenhead and Tranmere
- Bromborough
- Clatterbridge
- Claughton
- Eastham
- Greasby, Frankby and Irby
- Heswall
- Hoylake and Meols
- Leasowe and Moreton East
- Liscard
- Moreton West and Saughall Massie
- New Brighton
- Oxton
- Pensby and Thingwall
- Prenton
- Rock Ferry
- Seacombe
- Upton
- Wallasey
- West Kirby and Thurstaston
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 Wirral
Wirral is entirely unparished—there are no civil parishes in this local authority district.
Parishes are the lowest tier of local government; where they don’t exist, those very local services and representation sit directly with the principal council.
Built-up Areas in Wirral
Wirral covers 12 built-up areas, listed below in alphabetical order.
- Barnston (Wirral)
- Bebington *
- Birkenhead
- Caldy
- Ellesmere Port *
- Greasby
- Heswall *
- Hoylake
- Meols
- Neston (Cheshire West and Chester) *
- Wallasey
- West Kirby
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 Wirral.)
Wirral compared with other districts in the UK
This section shows how Wirral compares with other local authority districts in the UK, using a variety of measures and rankings.
Wirral has 22 electoral wards.
Wirral has a population of 328,873 (2024 mid-year estimate by ONS)
More local statistics and data for Wirral can be found on the ONS statistics for Wirral.