Wallasey

Coordinates: 53°25′23″N 3°03′54″W / 53.423°N 3.065°W / 53.423; -3.065

Wallasey (/ˈwɒləsi/) is a town within the Metropolitan Borough of Wirral, in Merseyside, England, on the mouth of the River Mersey, at the northeastern corner of the Wirral Peninsula. According to the 2001 Census, the town had a total resident population of 58,710. At the 2011 Census the population of the Wallasey ward, which covers a much smaller area, was counted as being 14,996.

History

Toponymy

The name of Wallasey originates from the Germanic word Walha, meaning stranger or foreigner, which is also the origin of the name Wales. The suffix “-ey” denotes an island or area of dry land. Originally the higher ground now occupied by Wallasey was separated from the rest of Wirral by the creek known as Wallasey Pool (which later became the docks), the marshy areas of Bidston Moss and Leasowe, and sand dunes along the coast.

Early history

Historically in Cheshire, the area was sparsely populated before the 19th century. Horse races organised for the Earls of Derby on the sands at Leasowe in the 16th and 17th centuries are regarded as forerunners of the modern Derby.

Wallasey (UK Parliament constituency)

Coordinates: 53°25′06″N 3°04′27″W / 53.4184°N 3.0742°W / 53.4184; -3.0742

Wallasey is a constituency represented in the House of Commons of the UK Parliament since 1992 by Angela Eagle, a member of the Labour Party.

Boundaries

The constituency covers the town of Wallasey, at the north of the Wirral Peninsula, which comprises the six areas: Wallasey Village, Seacombe, Egremont, Liscard, New Brighton and Poulton, as well as Moreton and Leasowe. It is one of four constituencies covering the Metropolitan Borough.

The seat is formed from six electoral wards of the Metropolitan Borough of Wirral:

History of boundaries

The Boundary Commission initially proposed the abolition in its 2005 draft review: Wallasey was to have been linked with sections of the city of Liverpool in a cross-river constituency. The areas are linked only by a road tunnel under the river Mersey. Following opposition from political parties, local MPs and local residents, the plan was dropped. The change made was the omission of a 40 electors' sub-neighbourhood from the only formerly shared ward: Hoylake and Meols which since before the 2010 election is in Wirral West.