NOVEMBER 29, 2025 — Plans to create a distinct official flag for the Liverpool City Region, first publicly supported by Metro Mayor Steve Rotheram nearly ten years ago, continue to face delays, with no definitive design or timeline yet established, according to a recent update by the Liverpool Echo.
The proposal, originally raised by Mr. Rotheram during his campaign for the inaugural mayoral election in 2016, aimed to reinstate an emblem for the region after the earlier Merseyside County Council banner fell out of use.
The former Walton MP had indicated in 2016 that he would be open to reviving the old Merseyside flag, which featured white waves on a blue background representing the River Mersey, though he suggested it might need “bringing into the 21st century.” He further proposed holding a public consultation to allow local talent to determine the final composition.
The predecessor flag was the official ensign of the short-lived Merseyside County Council, which operated from 1974 until its abolition in 1986. The Liverpool Echo describes this historic design as including six gold crowns, which symbolize the six county boroughs existing at the time: Birkenhead, Bootle, Liverpool, Southport, St Helens, and Wallasey.
The design of the former Merseyside flag intentionally represented key features of the region it served. The blue field and the white wavy lines explicitly symbolized the River Mersey, the estuary that gives the area its name.
The six crowns remains a point of interest, as the current Liverpool City Region is composed of six boroughs, Liverpool, Wirral, St Helens, Knowsley, Halton, and Sefton, creating a potential thematic fit with the original six-crown motif, despite the county council itself being dissolved.
However, progress remains slow. Ben O’Brien, the combined authority’s head of communications and marketing, recently confirmed that while a workshop took place on November 12th with stakeholders from the visitor economy and inward investment sectors, the flag is being developed as an “independent item” aligned with broader city region place branding work.
Mr. O’Brien acknowledged that an official time frame for the design process has not been set, though an internal paper is being prepared for the executive team to propose a project plan and schedule.
Image: Jza84 (CC BY-SA 3.0)
