Halton

A man with short grey hair and glasses smiles at the camera. He is wearing a dark grey jacket, white shirt and purple tie.

Council leader and deputy quit after election loss

Halton council’s leader and his deputy are standing down from their roles, two months after Labour suffered huge losses at the local election. Labour’s Mike Wharton who has led the borough council since 2021 will also stand down as the Deputy Mayor of the Liverpool city region.

12 hrs ago

2 days ago

The front of a fire engine can be seen on the left of the image, with a large pile of cardboard on fire and large plumes of smoke billowing into the sky. A single-storey building can also be seen ablaze.

Vape battery caused 450-tonne cardboard fire

Firefighters think a wrongly discarded battery ignited a pile of waste cardboard awaiting recycling.

2 days ago

8 May 2026

Emma Beck, who has blonde hair, is wearing a turquoise top under a grey blazer, and Tony Keogh, who has white hair, a white shirt and a light grey blazer, smile at the camera in a gymnasium. Both have turquoise and white Reform rosettes pinned to their lapels.

Reform UK races to huge victory in St Helens

Reform UK races to victory in St Helens as the incumbent Labour administration is all but wiped out.

8 May 2026

26 Mar 2026

Soldiers' legs in uniform and boots walking from right to left.

Specialist teams to tackle abuse at military bases

The teams will initially work at Catterick Garrison and HM Naval Base Devonport, the MoD says.

26 Mar 2026

11 Mar 2026

Small black and white dog strains on the lead outside a polling station, which has a large sign outside

Liverpool City Region's local elections in 2026

People living in four of Liverpool City Region's six boroughs will head to the polls on 7 May.

11 Mar 2026

20 Feb 2026

A CGI image of how the development could look, showing two large white buildings and two large studio grey and yellow studio blocks.

Mayor seeks government backing for film studios

Metro mayor Steve Rotheram hopes the government will help fund the Littlewoods TV and film project.

20 Feb 2026

Rowland Neill had grey hair and is wearing a blue jumper and blue jacket. He is standing inside a garage at the front of a red car which has its bonnet up and is looking at the camera.

'I've been here 40 years and have nowhere to go'

Businesses at an industrial estate tell of their shock at being ordered to vacate within weeks.

20 Feb 2026

8 Feb 2026

Halton Borough Council building is a tower block of white panels and windows. It is setback behind black railing in a grassed area with two trees and a car park.

Council seeks to raise council tax by 8%

Halton Borough Council has already applied to the government for a £30m loan to balance the books.

8 Feb 2026

21 Jan 2026

The Liverpool Liver Building looking to the north of the city with waterfront buildings in the background and the sun setting over the River Mersey.

Smaller towns penalised by government, MPs say

A group of Labour MPs say the Fair Funding settlement for councils is not fair on smaller towns.

21 Jan 2026