Editing Runcorn (section)

==Governance==
[[File:Runcorn Town Hall.jpg|thumb|[[Runcorn Town Hall]], formerly Halton Grange]]
Runcorn is in the [[local authority district]] of the [[Borough of Halton]]. It is administered by [[Halton Borough Council]], a [[Unitary authorities of England|unitary authority]] which has its main meeting place at [[Runcorn Town Hall]].<ref>{{cite web |title=Calendar |url=https://councillors.halton.gov.uk/mgCalendarAgendaView.aspx?MR=0&M=6&DD=2024&CID=0&OT=&C=-1&D=5 |website=Halton Borough Council |access-date=5 June 2024}}</ref> The council is a member of the [[Liverpool City Region Combined Authority]], led by the directly-elected [[Mayor of the Liverpool City Region]]. Runcorn is an [[unparished area]] with the exception of [[Sandymoor]] civil parish and part of the Whitehouse Industrial Estate which is in the [[Preston Brook]] civil parish.<ref>{{cite web |title=Election Maps |url=https://www.ordnancesurvey.co.uk/election-maps/gb/ |publisher=Ordnance Survey |access-date=28 February 2025}}</ref>

===Administrative history===
At the time of the [[Domesday Book|Domesday]] survey of 1086, Runcorn was in the [[Hundred (country subdivision)|hundred]] of Tunendune.<ref>{{Harvnb|Phillips|Phillips|2002|p=27.}}</ref> The [[hundreds of Cheshire]] were reorganised in the 12th century, and Runcorn became part of the [[Bucklow Hundred]].<ref>{{Harvnb|Phillips|Phillips|2002|p=9.}}</ref> Runcorn was an [[ancient parish]]. It was subdivided into 20 [[Township (England)|townships]]:<ref>{{cite web |title=Runcorn Ancient Parish / Civil Parish |url=https://visionofbritain.org.uk/unit/10083424 |website=A Vision of Britain through Time |publisher=GB Historical GIS / University of Portsmouth |access-date=28 February 2025}}</ref><ref>{{cite book |title=Book of Reference to the Plan of the Parish of Runcorn |date=1876 |publisher=Ordnance Survey |location=London |url=https://www.google.co.uk/books/edition/Book_of_Reference_to_the_Plan_of_the_Par/49MHAAAAQAAJ?hl=en&gbpv=1&pg=RA6-PP13&printsec=frontcover |access-date=28 February 2025}}</ref><ref>{{cite book |title=Book of Reference to the Plan of the Parish of Runcorn (Detached, Nos. 1, 2, and 3) |date=1875 |publisher=Ordnance Survey |location=London |url=https://www.google.co.uk/books/edition/Book_of_Reference_to_the_Plan_of_the_Par/49MHAAAAQAAJ?hl=en&gbpv=1&pg=RA7-PP7&printsec=frontcover |access-date=28 February 2025}}</ref>
{{div col|colwidth=15em}}
*Acton Grange
*Aston Grange
*[[Aston-by-Sutton]]
*Clifton
*[[Daresbury]]
*[[Dutton, Cheshire|Dutton]] (part)
*[[Halton, Runcorn|Halton]]
*[[Hatton, Warrington|Hatton]]
*[[Keckwick]]
*[[Moore, Cheshire|Moore]]
*Newton by Daresbury
*[[Norton, Runcorn|Norton]]
*[[Preston on the Hill]]
*Runcorn
*Stockham
*[[Sutton Weaver|Sutton]]
*[[Thelwall]]
*[[Walton, Cheshire|Walton]] Inferior
*Walton Superior
*[[Weston, Runcorn|Weston]]
{{div col end}}

The Runcorn township covered the town itself plus a rural area to the south, including the separate hamlet of Higher Runcorn and an area of [[heath]] called Runcorn Heath.<ref>{{cite web |title=Cheshire Sheet XXIV |url=https://maps.nls.uk/view/102341023 |website=National Library of Scotland |publisher=Ordnance Survey |access-date=1 March 2025 |date=1882}}</ref> From the 17th century onwards, parishes were gradually given various civil functions under the [[poor laws]], in addition to their original ecclesiastical functions. In some cases, including Runcorn, the civil functions were exercised by each township separately rather than the parish as a whole. In 1866, the legal definition of 'parish' was changed to be the areas used for administering the poor laws, and so the townships also became [[civil parish]]es, which therefore diverged from the [[ecclesiastical parish]].<ref>{{cite book |last1=Youngs |first1=Frederic |title=Guide to the Local Administrative Units of England: Volume II, Northern England |date=1991 |publisher=Royal Historical Society |location=London |isbn=0861931270 |page=xv}}</ref>

[[File:Coat of arms of Runcorn Urban District Council.svg|thumb|150px|Coat of arms granted to Runcorn Urban District Council in 1956]]
In 1852 a body of [[improvement commissioners]] was established to administer the Runcorn township and adjoining parts of Halton township (which were subsequently transferred to Runcorn township in 1883).<ref>{{cite web |title=Runcorn Improvement Act 1852 |url=https://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukla/Vict/15-16/68/contents/enacted |website=legislation.gov.uk |publisher=The National Archives |access-date=1 March 2025}}</ref><ref>{{Harvnb|Starkey|1990|p=193.}}</ref> Such commissioners' districts were reconstituted as [[Urban district (England and Wales)|urban districts]] under the [[Local Government Act 1894]].<ref>{{cite web |title=Runcorn Urban District |url=https://visionofbritain.org.uk/unit/10062263 |website=A Vision of Britain through Time |publisher=GB Historical GIS / University of Portsmouth |access-date=1 March 2025}}</ref> In 1932, Runcorn Urban District Council bought Halton Grange, a large house which had been completed in 1856, to serve as its headquarters and renamed it Runcorn Town Hall.<ref>{{cite news |title=Runcorn purchase Halton Grange |url=https://www.findmypast.co.uk/image-viewer?issue=BL%2F0000964%2F19320708&page=2 |access-date=1 March 2025 |work=Runcorn Weekly News |date=8 July 1932 |page=2}}</ref><ref>{{NHLE|num=1104859|desc=Runcorn Town Hall, Heath Road|grade=II|access-date=1 March 2025}}</ref>

Runcorn Urban District was enlarged on three occasions. In 1936, it took in areas including Weston and the fringes of Halton, including the area around Halton Grange. In 1955, there were minor adjustments to the boundaries with neighbouring parishes. And in 1967, it took in Halton and Norton, plus parts of other neighbouring parishes, to bring all the areas which had been designated for the new town in 1964 into the urban district.<ref>{{cite book |last=Youngs |first=Frederic |title=Guide to the Local Administrative Units of England: Volume II |date=1991 |publisher=Royal Historical Society |location=London |isbn=0 86193 127 0 |pages=29, 33}}</ref><ref name="Phillips 2002 11">{{Harvnb|Phillips|Phillips|2002|p=11.}}</ref> In 1956, the urban district council was granted a [[coat of arms]] with the Latin motto ''Navem mercibus implere'' ("fill the ships with goods"), a classical quotation from [[Juvenal]].<ref>{{cite web |last=Young |first=Robert |title=Runcorn Urban District Council |url=http://www.civicheraldry.co.uk/cheshire_pre74.html#runcorn%20udc |website=Civic Heraldry |access-date=1 March 2025}}</ref>

Runcorn Urban District was abolished in 1974 under the [[Local Government Act 1972]] when it merged with the [[Municipal Borough of Widnes]] and parts of [[Runcorn Rural District]] and [[Whiston Rural District]] to form the [[Borough of Halton]] under Halton Borough Council and [[Cheshire County Council]]. In 1998, Halton Borough Council took over the county council's functions in the borough, making it a [[unitary authority]]. Halton remains part of the [[ceremonial county]] of Cheshire.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www2.halton.gov.uk/yourcouncil/theboroughofhalton?a=5441 |title=The Borough of Halton |date=26 March 2008 |access-date=23 June 2013 |publisher=Halton Borough Council |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080922014510/http://www2.halton.gov.uk/yourcouncil/theboroughofhalton/?a=5441 |archive-date=22 September 2008}}</ref> In April 2014, Halton Borough Council joined five other local authorities in [[Merseyside]] to form the [[Liverpool City Region]].

===Westminster representation===
Runcorn is in the [[Runcorn and Helsby (UK Parliament constituency)|Runcorn and Helsby constituency]] for representation in the [[House of Commons of the United Kingdom|House of Commons]]. The seat was held by [[Mike Amesbury]] of the [[Labour Party (UK)|Labour Party]] from its creation for the [[2024 United Kingdom general election|2024 general election]].<ref>{{cite news |last=Smith |first=Mark |date=5 July 2024 |title=Labour take Runcorn and Helsby as Tories finish third |url=https://www.runcornandwidnesworld.co.uk/news/24432269.labour-take-runcorn-helsby-tories-finish-third/ |work=Runcorn and Widnes World |location= |access-date=6 July 2024}}</ref> It changed hands when [[Sarah Pochin]] of [[Reform UK]] won the [[2025 Runcorn and Helsby by-election|2025 by-election]] triggered by Amesbury's resignation after his conviction for assault.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cx20z7p96xyo |title =Reform MP Sarah Pochin hails tight by-election win |work=BBC News |date=2 May 2025 |access-date=5 May 2025}}</ref>

From 1997 to 2024, Runcorn was split between the two constituencies of [[Weaver Vale (UK Parliament constituency)|Weaver Vale]] and [[Halton (UK Parliament constituency)|Halton]]. Prior to their abolition, those seats were held by Mike Amesbury and [[Derek Twigg]] respectively, both of the [[Labour Party (UK)|Labour Party]].<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.parliament.uk/biographies/commons/derek-twigg/429 |title=Derek Twigg |access-date=23 June 2013 |publisher=UK Parliament |archive-date=5 July 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130705091842/http://www.parliament.uk/biographies/commons/derek-twigg/429 |url-status=live}}</ref> While Halton was a [[safe seat|safe]] Labour seat since its creation in 1983, Weaver Vale was a [[marginal seat]] and switched between the Labour and [[Conservative Party (UK)|Conservative]] parties several times since its creation in 1997.

Before the [[Reform Act 1832]], Runcorn was in the [[United Kingdom constituencies|constituency]] of Cheshire which was represented by two [[Member of Parliament (United Kingdom)|Members of Parliament]].<ref>{{Harvnb|Phillips|Phillips|2002|p=100.}}</ref> Following the Reform Act, the town was placed in the [[North Cheshire (UK Parliament constituency)|North Cheshire]] constituency and from 1868 in the [[Mid Cheshire (UK Parliament constituency)|Mid Cheshire]] constituency. From 1885 to 1950 the town was in the constituency of [[Northwich (UK Parliament constituency)|Northwich]].<ref>{{Harvnb|Phillips|Phillips|2002|pp=102–103.}}</ref> The [[Runcorn (UK Parliament constituency)|constituency of Runcorn]] was created by a 1948 [[Act of Parliament]] and [[Dennis Vosper, Baron Runcorn|Dennis Vosper]] was the first to be elected to the seat in 1950.<ref>{{Harvnb|Starkey|1990|p=221.}}.</ref> In 1964, he was succeeded by [[Mark Carlisle]] who held the seat until the constituency of Runcorn was abolished in 1983 and split between the constituencies of Halton and [[Warrington South (UK Parliament constituency)|Warrington South]].<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/obituaries/1494318/Lord-Carlisle-of-Bucklow.html |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20220112/https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/obituaries/1494318/Lord-Carlisle-of-Bucklow.html |archive-date=12 January 2022 |url-access=subscription |url-status=live |title=Lord Carlisle of Bucklow |access-date=23 June 2013 |date=19 July 2005 |work=The Daily Telegraph}}{{cbignore}}</ref>