Editing Merseyside (section)

==History==
{{stack|[[File:Seaforth Docks.jpg|thumb|[[Port of Liverpool]] docks, at [[Seaforth, Merseyside|Seaforth]]. Merseyside lies on the [[River Mersey|Mersey Estuary]]]]}}
Merseyside was designated as a "Special Review" area in the [[Local Government Act 1958]], and the [[Local Government Commission for England (1958 - 1966)|Local Government Commission for England]] started a review of this area in 1962, based around the core county boroughs of [[Liverpool]], [[Bootle]], [[Birkenhead]] and [[Wallasey]]. Further areas, including [[Widnes]] and [[Runcorn]], were added to the Special Review Area by Order in 1965. Draft proposals were published in 1965, but the commission never completed its final proposals as it was abolished in 1966.

Instead, a [[Royal Commission]] was set up to review English local government entirely, and its report (known as the [[Redcliffe-Maud Report]]) proposed a much wider Merseyside metropolitan area covering southwest Lancashire and northwest Cheshire, extending as far south as [[Chester]] and as far north as the [[River Ribble]]. This would have included four districts: [[Southport]]/[[Crosby, Merseyside|Crosby]], [[Liverpool]]/[[Bootle]], [[St Helens, Merseyside|St Helens]]/[[Widnes]] and [[Wirral Peninsula|Wirral]]/[[Chester]]. In 1970 the [[Merseyside Passenger Transport Executive]] (which operates today under the ''[[Merseytravel]]'' brand) was set up, covering Liverpool, Sefton, Wirral and Knowsley, but excluding Southport and St Helens.

The Redcliffe-Maud Report was rejected by the incoming [[Conservative Party (UK)|Conservative]] government, but the concept of a two-tier metropolitan area based on the Mersey area was retained. A [[White Paper]] was published in 1971. The [[Local Government Act 1972|Local Government Bill]] presented to Parliament involved a substantial trimming from the White Paper, excluding the northern and southern fringes of the area, excluding Chester, Ellesmere Port, and, for the first time, including Southport, whose council had requested to be included. Further alterations took place in Parliament, with [[Skelmersdale]] being removed from the area, and a proposed district including St Helens and [[Huyton]] being subdivided into what are now the metropolitan boroughs of [[Metropolitan Borough of St Helens|St Helens]] and [[Metropolitan Borough of Knowsley|Knowsley]].

Merseyside was created on 1 April 1974 from areas previously part of the [[administrative counties of England|administrative counties]] of [[Lancashire]] and [[Cheshire]], along with the county boroughs of Birkenhead, Wallasey, Liverpool, Bootle, and St Helens. Following the creation of Merseyside, Merseytravel expanded to take in St Helens and Southport.

{| class="wikitable" style="border:0px;text-align:left;line-height:150%;"
! colspan="2" | [[Local Government Act 1972|post-1974]]
! colspan="4" | [[Local Government Act 1888|pre-1974]]
|-
! Metropolitan county
! Metropolitan borough
! [[County borough]]s
! [[Municipal borough|Non-county borough]]s
! [[Urban district (England and Wales)|Urban districts]]
! [[Rural district]]s
|-
|rowspan=5| [[File:Merseyside County.png|300px]]<br />{{center|Merseyside is an amalgamation of 22 former local government districts, including six county boroughs and two municipal boroughs.}}
| [[Metropolitan Borough of Knowsley|Knowsley]]
| 
| 
| [[Huyton with Roby Urban District|Huyton with Roby]]&nbsp;• [[Kirkby Urban District|Kirkby]]&nbsp;• [[Prescot Urban District|Prescot]] 
| [[West Lancashire Rural District|West Lancashire]]&nbsp;• [[Whiston Rural District|Whiston]]
|-
| [[Liverpool]]
| Liverpool
| 
| 
| 
|-
| [[Metropolitan Borough of Sefton|Sefton]]
| [[County Borough of Bootle|Bootle]]&nbsp;• [[County Borough of Southport|Southport]]
| [[Municipal Borough of Crosby|Crosby]]
| [[Formby Urban District|Formby]]&nbsp;• [[Litherland Urban District|Litherland]]
| [[West Lancashire Rural District|West Lancashire]]
|-
| [[Metropolitan Borough of St Helens|St Helens]]
| [[County Borough of St Helens|St Helens]]
| 
| [[Newton-in-Makerfield Urban District|Newton-in-Makerfield]]&nbsp;• [[Billinge and Winstanley]]&nbsp;• [[Haydock Urban District|Haydock]]&nbsp;• [[Rainford Urban District|Rainford]]
| [[Whiston Rural District|Whiston]]
|-
| [[Metropolitan Borough of Wirral|Wirral]]
| [[County Borough of Birkenhead|Birkenhead]]&nbsp;• [[County Borough of Wallasey|Wallasey]]
| [[Municipal Borough of Bebington|Bebington]]
| [[Hoylake Urban District|Hoylake]]&nbsp;• [[Wirral Urban District|Wirral]]
| 
|}

Between 1974 and 1986 the county had a two-tier system of local government with the five boroughs sharing power with the [[Merseyside County Council]]. In 1986 the government of [[Margaret Thatcher]] abolished the county council along with all other metropolitan county councils, and so its boroughs are now effectively [[Unitary authorities of England|unitary authorities]].