Merseyside County Council | |
|---|---|
 Coat of arms of the Merseyside County Council | |
| Type | |
| Type | |
| History | |
| Established | 1 April 1974 |
| Disbanded | 31 March 1986 |
| Succeeded by | |
| Seats | 99 |
| Elections | |
Last election | 1981 |
| Meeting place | |
.jpg) | |
| Liverpool Town Hall | |
Merseyside County Council (MCC) was, from 1974 to 1986, the upper-tier administrative body forMerseyside, ametropolitan county inNorth West England.
MCC existed for a total of twelve years. It was established on 1 April 1974 by theLocal Government Act 1972. Along with the other five metropolitan county councils and theGreater London Council, it was abolished on 31 March 1986 by theThatcher government.
The county council had its main administrative offices atMetropolitan House at 95 Old Hall Street in Liverpool, renting part of the building from its owners, theLiverpool Echo andDaily Post newspaper group. The county council held its meetings atLiverpool Town Hall.[1]
The first election to the council was held in 1973, initially operating as a shadow authority before coming into its powers on 1 April 1974. Political control of the council from 1974 until its abolition in 1986 was as follows:[2]
| Party in control | Years | |
|---|---|---|
| Labour | 1974–1977 | |
| Conservative | 1977–1981 | |
| Labour | 1981–1986 | |
Until 1980, theleader of the council also held the formal role of chairman of the council. In 1980 the two roles were separated, with the chairmanship becoming largely ceremonial whilst political leadership was provided by the leader of the council.[3] The first leader and chairman of the county council, Bill Sefton, had been the last leader ofLiverpool City Council before the 1974 reforms took effect.[4] The leaders of Merseyside County Council were:
| Councillor | Party | From | To | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bill Sefton[4][5] | Labour | 1 Apr 1974 | May 1977 | |
| Kenneth Thompson[5][3] | Conservative | May 1977 | Oct 1980 | |
| Neville Goldrein[3][6] | Conservative | Oct 1980 | May 1981 | |
| Jim Stuart-Cole[7][8] | Labour | May 1981 | Mar 1982 | |
| Keva Coombes[8][9] | Labour | Mar 1982 | 31 Mar 1986 | |
The Conservative government abolished Merseyside County Council on 31 March 1986 under theLocal Government Act 1985, along with the other five metropolitan county councils and theGreater London Council.[10] Its powers devolved to the fivemetropolitan boroughs –Knowsley,Liverpool,Sefton,St Helens andWirral – which thus became effectivelyunitary authorities.
Certain of the county council's powers were taken up by joint authorities consisting of members of each borough council; some of these bodies were mandated by the 1985 act and some by order of the secretary of state, while others were voluntary arrangements. The joint bodies included:[11]
