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

Wirral.

Labour Party-controlled metropolitan_borough. £420m net revenue. 22 wards across 4 parliamentary constituencies.

Typemetropolitan_borough
Seats66 councillors · 22 wards
Last election4 May 2023
Websitewirral.gov.uk ↗
Net revenue · 2025-26
£420m
Core spending power (MHCLG)
Band-D bill
£2,382
For the council slice (incl. precepts)
Composition
30/66
Labour Party 45%
Westminster
4
constituencies overlap · 1 MP party
Dispatch
29 Jun 2026

Labour Party chamber, Labour Party MPs.

Wirral is a metropolitan_borough controlled by Labour Party (30 of 66 seats). Net revenue is £420m for 2025-26. It covers 22 wards spanning 4 parliamentary constituencies.

§ 01Composition.66 seats · last contested 4 May 2023

Who sits in the chamber.

Lab 30Con 17Green 13LD 6

Labour Party 45% · last contested 4 May 2023

Councillors — the people.

CouncillorWardElected
Edward John LambGrnBebington2023
Jason WalshGrnBebington2023
Judith GrierGrnBebington2023
Brian Martin KennyLabBidston and St James2023
Julie McManusLabBidston and St James2023
Liz GreyLabBidston and St James2023
Amanda OnwuemeneGrnBirkenhead and Tranmere2023
Ewan TomenyGrnBirkenhead and Tranmere2023
Pat ClearyGrnBirkenhead and Tranmere2023
Jo BirdGrnBromborough2023
Keiran MurphyGrnBromborough2023
Ruth MolyneuxGrnBromborough2023
Showing 12 of 66·All 66 councillors
§ 02Revenue mix & Band-D bill.MHCLG — Final LGFS 2025-26 Core Spending Power table

Where revenue comes from.

46%
Council tax
£191.3m · median 44%
41%
Central grants
£172.1m · median 41%
13%
Business rates
£56.6m · median 14%

Revenue mix is close to the councils (metropolitan_borough) median: 46% council tax, 41% 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£1,982
County / upper-tier£0
Police£279
Fire & rescue£96
GLA precept£24
Total Band-D£2,382

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 Wirral 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.

Education41.0% of net spend · cohort median 41%
16 of 35+1% vs median
Adult Social Care26.4% of net spend · cohort median 26%
16 of 35+2% vs median
Children's Services14.6% of net spend · cohort median 15%
23 of 35-4% vs median
Public Health5.3% of net spend · cohort median 4%
5 of 35+23% vs median
Waste & Recycling2.7% of net spend · cohort median 4%
28 of 35-34% vs median
Culture & Leisure2.5% of net spend · cohort median 2%
15 of 35+5% vs median
Corporate & Central2.4% of net spend · cohort median 3%
26 of 35-20% vs median
Housing & Homelessness2.0% of net spend · cohort median 2%
9 of 35+15% vs median
Planning & Economic Development1.6% of net spend · cohort median 2%
17 of 35+3% vs median
Highways & Transport1.6% of net spend · cohort median 2%
17 of 35+5% 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.

§ 05Westminster constituencies — the overlap.22 wards split across 4 parliamentary seats
ConstituencyWards% of councilCurrent MP
Birkenhead732% Mick WhitleyLab
Wirral West732% Matthew PatrickLab
Wallasey627% Angela EagleLab
Ellesmere Port and Bromborough29% Justin MaddersLab
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
Not yet ingested for Wirral
Westminster overlapONS Open Geography Portal
2023 boundaries
PopulationONS mid-year estimates
Pending ingest at LAD level