TheBorough of Halton (/hɒltən/) is alocal authority district withborough status in theceremonial county ofCheshire,North West England. It is administered byHalton Borough Council, aunitary authority since 1998.[5] The borough contains the towns ofRuncorn andWidnes and thecivil parishes ofDaresbury,Hale,Halebank,Moore,Preston Brook, andSandymoor.[6] Since 2014, it has been part of theLiverpool City Region and the council is a member of theLiverpool City Region Combined Authority.
The neighbouring districts (clockwise from west) areLiverpool,Knowsley andSt Helens, which are fellow boroughs of the Liverpool City Region, andWarrington andCheshire West and Chester in Cheshire.
TheRiver Mersey marks the boundary of thehistoric counties ofLancashire (to the north) andCheshire (to the south). Before 1974, Widnes was administered by theMunicipal Borough of Widnes in Lancashire, and Runcorn byRuncorn Urban District Council in Cheshire.
The 1969Redcliffe-Maud Report recommended reforms to local government in England, including the abolition of all existing local government areas. They were to be replaced by mostlyunitary authorities with the exception of three two-tier metropolitan areas to be called Merseyside,SELNEC (an acronym of South East Lancashire & North East Cheshire), and West Midlands. Runcorn and Widnes would form part of the new Merseyside Metropolitan Area under a district called 'St Helens-Widnes'.[7]
The proposals were broadly accepted by the then Labour government but set aside by the incoming Conservative government following the1970 general election which it had fought on a manifesto pledge to introduce a system of two-tier local government.[8] TheLocal Government Act 1972 created newmetropolitan counties around Liverpool (as Merseyside) and Manchester (asGreater Manchester) but Runcorn and Widnes would not be allocated to either. Instead, Widnes and Warrington would be moved into thenon-metropolitan county of Cheshire, with Widnes joining Runcorn to create the newnon-metropolitan district of Halton. The name of the new district was inspired by the ancientBarony of Halton which had possessed land on both sides of the river. The district was established on 1 April 1974. In addition to Runcorn Urban District and the Municipal Borough of Widnes, parts ofRuncorn Rural District and the parish ofHale fromWhiston Rural District were incorporated into Halton.
On 1 April 1998, Halton became aunitary authority, independent ofCheshire County Council. However, it continues to be served byCheshire Police andCheshire Fire and Rescue Service, and forms part of Cheshire forceremonial purposes. On 1 April 2014, Halton became part of theLiverpool City Region Combined Authority, joining the local authorities ofLiverpool,Sefton,Wirral,Knowsley andSt Helens; the fivemetropolitan district councils which constitute the county of Merseyside. As a unitary authority, Halton's status is similar to the metropolitan district councils.[9]
The population of Halton is 131,543 (2024).[3] Although the borough was only created in 1974, the change in population since 1801 has been calculated by adapting historical census data to modern boundaries.[10]
| Year | Population | Change as % |
|---|---|---|
| 1801 | 6,460 | — |
| 1811 | 7,491 | +16.0% |
| 1821 | 8,962 | +19.6% |
| 1831 | 10,918 | +21.8% |
| 1841 | 13,364 | +22.4% |
| 1851 | 16,296 | +21.9% |
| 1861 | 17,678 | +8.5% |
| 1871 | — | — |
| 1881 | 46,181 | — |
| 1891 | 58,042 | +25.7% |
| 1901 | — | — |
| 1911 | 56,656 | — |
| 1921 | 61,977 | +9.4% |
| 1931 | 64,979 | +4.8% |
| 1941 | — | — |
| 1951 | 80,072 | — |
| 1961 | 82,119 | +2.6% |
| 1971 | 99,749 | +21.5% |
| 1981 | 129,187 | +29.5% |
| 1991 | 128,525 | −0.5% |
| 2001 | 118,242 | −8.0% |
| 2011 | 125,746 | +6.3% |
| 2021 | 128,478 | +2.2% |
In the 2021 census, Christianity was the main religion in Halton at 58.6%, above the national average for England of 46.3% but down from 75% in 2011. 35.2% stated that they had 'no religion'. Those stating their religion as Buddhist, Hindu, Jewish, Muslim, Sikh or other amounted to 1.6%.[4]
In the 2021 census, 96.5% of Halton residents identified as White and 3.5% as non-White or mixed. 95.2% were born in the United Kingdom.[4]
Halton Borough Council is a unitary authority responsible for most local government functions within the area. TheLabour Party has controlled the council since it was created in 1974.[12]
On 1 April 2014, Halton became one of the six constituent local government districts of theLiverpool City Region governed bythe Combined Authority.[13]
Since the2024 general election, the borough has been split into the two constituencies ofWidnes and Halewood andRuncorn and Helsby; the former has been held byDerek Twigg of theLabour Party since the election,[14] whilst the latter is amarginal seat represented bySarah Pochin ofReform UK since the2025 by-election, which she won by six votes in the closest by-election result in British history.[15]
In 2021, the borough's totalGVA was £4.0 billion with a totalGDP of £4.5 billion.[16] GVA per capita in Halton was £31,390 and GDP per capita was £34,985, the highest in the Liverpool City Region.[16]
In 2022, there were 67,000 jobs in Halton, including the self-employed.[17] The borough is an industrial, scientific and logistics hub with a higher proportion of jobs in these industries, and proportionally fewer jobs in hospitality and education compared toGreat Britain.[17] Proportionally more jobs were full-time roles.[17]
In the period October 2022 to September 2023, the employment rate in Halton was 76.6%, higher than the average rate for Great Britain of 75.8%. Unemployment was 2.9% compared to 3.7% for Great Britain.[17]
However, people in Halton are qualified to a lower level than the average for the North West or Great Britain.[17] In 2023, the grossmedian weekly wage for full time workers living in Halton was £664. Although higher than the regional median of £649, it is lower than the £682.60 for Great Britain.[17]
Local television content is provided byBBC North West andITV Granada
Local radio stations include:[citation needed]
Local newspapers areThe Runcorn & Widnes Weekly News,[20] and theRuncorn and Widnes World.[21]
Halton is twinned with:
Following an appeal in 1997, Halton residents donated 1,000 English books toJan Evangelista Purkyně University in Ústí nad Labem.[22] In 1999, an historic Halton Transport bus was restored and gifted to the Czech Republic to mark the centenary of public transport in the city.[23] Engineers from Halton have assisted with chemical decontamination in the city and also when the city flooded in 2002.[24]
The first crazy golf course in Berlin, created in Marzahn-Hellersdorf in 2005, contains several Halton landmarks and was constructed with the assistance of exchange students from the borough.[25]
Several roads are named after Halton's twin boroughs, including Leiria Way in Runcorn and Marzahn Way in Widnes.[26] A Chinese friendship garden was created in the grounds of Runcorn Town Hall in 2006, including a bronze statue gifted by the twin city of Tongling.[27]
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