As is typical for Sefton's local elections, twenty-two seats of the sixty-six total were contested. The Labour party have controlled the council since the 2012 elections, and prior to the election had a comfortable working majority of 13. Shortly before the election, this was reduced from their majority of 18 they had had following the previous year's election; in early March Labour Councillor Trish Hardy resigned from her Litherland ward seat leaving a vacancy, and less than a month before polling day Councillors Natasha Carlin and Sean Halsall left Labour in protest of the party's policy direction and stance on the war in Gaza.[2]
The majority of the seats contested were held by Labour, who defended fifteen of the twenty-two seats. The Liberal Democrats defended three seats, and the Conservatives defended two seats.[3] The then-vacant Litherland seat was also contested alongside two seats held by independent councillors.
Labour and the Conservatives contested all seats up for election, while the Green Party contested every seat except 1 (Linacre). As a result of administrative confusion some of the Green Party candidates had the description “Green Party” and the party’s logo (16 candidates) next to their name on the voting ballots while others only had the logo (5 candidates). Additionally the Liberal Democrats contested close to all seats, with candidates representing Reform UK, TUSC, Freedom Alliance, localist groups, also stood a small number of candidates alongside 2 independents.
Amongst other results, the Green party gained their first seat ever on the council, narrowly winning in Church ward by just over a hundred votes.[4]
7 March 2024: Labour councillor Trish Hardy resigns.[6]
8 April 2024: Natasha Carlin and Sean Halsall leave Labour to sit as independents over protest of Labour's direction and stance on the Israel-Hamas war.[2]
The Statements of Persons Nominated, which details the candidates standing in each ward, were released by Sefton Council on 8 April 2024 following the close of nominations.[1] Councillors that were standing for re-election are marked with an asterisk (*). The results for each ward were announced the day after the election.[7]
16.3
4.5
