The local authorityCouncil · metropolitan_borough · England · 1 of 36 councils (metropolitan_borough)

St. Helens.

Labour Party-controlled metropolitan_borough. £229m net revenue. 18 wards across 2 parliamentary constituencies.

Typemetropolitan_borough
Seats48 councillors · 18 wards
Last election5 May 2022
Websitesthelens.gov.uk
Net revenue · 2025-26
£229m
Core spending power (MHCLG)
Band-D bill
£2,289
For the council slice (incl. precepts)
Composition
29/48
Labour Party 60%
Westminster
2
constituencies overlap · 1 MP party
Dispatch
31 May 2026

Labour Party chamber, Labour Party MPs.

St. Helens is a metropolitan_borough controlled by Labour Party (29 of 48 seats). Net revenue is £229m for 2025-26. It covers 18 wards spanning 2 parliamentary constituencies.

§ 01Composition.48 seats · last contested 5 May 2022

Who sits in the chamber.

Lab 29Independent Berwick Hills Resident 7Green 6LD 4Con 2

Labour Party 60% · last contested 5 May 2022

Councillors — the people.

CouncillorWardElected
Colin Richard BettsIndBillinge Seneley Green2022
Peter PeersIndBillinge Seneley Green2022
Sue MurphyLabBillinge Seneley Green2022
Anthony James BurnsLabBlackbrook2022
Linda Lovina MaloneyLabBlackbrook2022
Paul McQuadeLabBlackbrook2022
Allen John MakinGrnBold Lea Green2022
David Edward HawleyGrnBold Lea Green2022
Glen Roger RichardsGrnBold Lea Green2022
Geoff PearlLDEccleston2022
Michael HawLDEccleston2022
Teresa Veronica SimsLDEccleston2022
Showing 12 of 48·All 48 councillors
§ 02Revenue mix & Band-D bill.MHCLG — Final LGFS 2025-26 Core Spending Power table

Where revenue comes from.

44%
Council tax
£101.2m · median 44%
42%
Central grants
£95.9m · median 41%
14%
Business rates
£32.3m · median 14%

Revenue mix is close to the councils (metropolitan_borough) median: 44% council tax, 42% central grants.

Source · MHCLG — Final LGFS 2025-26 Core Spending Power table · derived (CT exact; grants/rates split from SFA baseline)

Band-D bill.

Council slice£1,882
County / upper-tier£0
Police£279
Fire & rescue£96
GLA precept£24
Parish average£8
Total Band-D£2,289

Parish precepts apply on top, vary by parish

For household tax breakdown

Use the income slider on My place to see income tax, NI, VAT and council tax against your earnings.

§ 03Service spend, ranked against peers.10 buckets · vs 35 other councils (metropolitan_borough)

How does St. Helens split its revenue across services, compared with peer councils (metropolitan_borough)-class councils? Each row is one of the ten standard service buckets. The vertical line at the centre is the cohort median share; the coloured square is where this council sits. Squares to the right of centre mean a bigger share of revenue than the median peer; to the left, a smaller share.

Education42.4% of net spend · cohort median 41%
11 of 35+4% vs median
Adult Social Care24.4% of net spend · cohort median 26%
23 of 35-5% vs median
Children's Services17.7% of net spend · cohort median 15%
6 of 35+17% vs median
Public Health4.6% of net spend · cohort median 4%
9 of 35+6% vs median
Waste & Recycling2.9% of net spend · cohort median 4%
25 of 35-31% vs median
Corporate & Central2.6% of net spend · cohort median 3%
24 of 35-15% vs median
Planning & Economic Development1.7% of net spend · cohort median 2%
13 of 35+12% vs median
Culture & Leisure1.4% of net spend · cohort median 2%
33 of 35-43% vs median
Highways & Transport1.4% of net spend · cohort median 2%
23 of 35-9% vs median
Housing & Homelessness1.1% of net spend · cohort median 2%
27 of 35-35% vs median
How to read these bars

The subtitle on each row (“X% of net spend”) is what share of this council’s revenue goes to that service. The rank (“15 of 61”) is where this council sits within the cohort, sorted by that share descending. The delta (“+26% vs median”) is a relative reading: the council allocates 26% more of its revenue to that service than the median peer would. A small absolute difference can still be a big relative one.

Higher share doesn’t mean waste — it can reflect demographic need (more older residents), rurality, or a policy choice (e.g. keeping a service in-house). Lower share doesn’t mean efficiency — some councils move costs to fees, ringfenced accounts, or grants. £-per-head would be sharper than share-of-revenue; LAD population is pending ingest. Comparisons are within the same council type only.

§ 04Top suppliers.18,123 payments · £67.3m gross · 3 Dec 202527 Feb 2026

Every invoice over £500, published under the Local Government Transparency Code. Best-effort, not statutory — counts and totals net negatives (refunds/reversals).

Top by total — last 180 days

SupplierPaidSharePmts
ECF (GENERAL PARTNER) LIMITED£13.22m19.6%36
REMARKABLE AUTISM LIMITED£1.39m2.1%4
E4L ST HELENS PFI LIMITED£1.31m1.9%7
MWL TEACHING HOSPITALS NHS TRUST£1.21m1.8%10
PERSONAL DATA£1.02m1.5%74
MATRIX SCM LIMITED£0.89m1.3%502
SINA MEDICAL GLASS LTD.£0.89m1.3%3
HUYTON ASPHALT LTD£0.75m1.1%5
CHANGE GROW LIVE£0.71m1.1%2
PHOENIX SOFTWARE LIMITED£0.67m1.0%9

By service area · top supplier

ServiceTop supplierPaid
Corporate And CentralREMARKABLE AUTISM LIMITED£1.39m
EducationE4L ST HELENS PFI LIMITED£1.31m
Childrens ServicesPERSONAL DATA£0.97m
Housing And HomelessnessHUYTON ASPHALT LTD£0.68m
Adult Social CareC.I.C. LIMITED£0.63m
Culture And LeisureHARLECH FOODSERVICE LTD£0.31m
Highways And TransportSTANDARD FUEL OILS£0.19m
§ 05Westminster constituencies — the overlap.18 wards split across 2 parliamentary seats
ConstituencyWards% of councilCurrent MP
St Helens North1056% David BainesLab
St Helens South and Whiston844% Marie RimmerLab
Sources, methods & last update
Method The dispatch paragraphs are AI-generated from the public sources listed below. Every figure links to its source. If we’re wrong, please tell us — corrections within 48 hours.
CompositionDemocracy Club (live)
DCLEAPIL v1.0 (historic)
Net revenueMHCLG Final LGFS
Core Spending Power table · 2025-26
Service spendDerived from MHCLG CSP shares
vs 35 other councils (metropolitan_borough)
Band-DMHCLG CSP · precept schedules
Police, Fire, Parish on top
SuppliersCouncil publication under LGTC
18,123 payments · 3 Dec 202527 Feb 2026
Westminster overlapONS Open Geography Portal
2023 boundaries
PopulationONS mid-year estimates
Pending ingest at LAD level