Yew Tree (Liverpool ward)

Yew Tree ward is an electoral division of Liverpool City Council within the Liverpool West Derby Parliamentary constituency.

Background
The ward was created as Dovecot ward in 1953; its boundaries were changed in 1980 and in 2004 when its name changed to Yew Tree ward. Its boundaries were changed again for the 2023 elections.

1953 boundaries
The ward was part of the Liverpool West Derby Parliamentary constituency.

1973 election
Following the Local Government Act 1972 the ward boundaries of the council were altered. The number of wards was reduced from 40 to 33 and the aldermanic system was abolished. Dovecot was retained and returned three councillors.

1980 boundaries
A report of the Local Government Boundary Commission for England published in November 1978 set out proposals for changes to the wards of Liverpool City Council, maintaining the number of councillors at 99 representing 33 wards. Dovecot ward was retained to be represented by three councillors.

The report describes the boundaries of Dovecot ward as "Commencing at a point where the eastern boundary of the City meets Aldwark Road, thence generally northwestwards along said road to Grovehurst Avenue, thence northwestwards along said avenue, and in prolongation thereof crossing Dovecot Place to East Prescot Road, thence southwestwards along said road and northwestwards along the northern part of said road to Kingsheath Avenue, northeastwards along said avenue to Elgar Road, thence northwestwards along said road and in prolongation thereof to Deys Brook, thence northwards and generally northwestwards along said brook to a point opposite the southeastern corner of St Vincent's School for the Blind, thence eastwards to and northwestwards along the northeastern boundary of said school and continuing northwestwards along the western boundary of Yewtree Playing Fields to Yew Tree Lane, thence southwestwards along said lane to the eastern boundary of Croxteth Ward, thence northwestwards and northeastwards along said boundary to the southwestern boundary of Gillmoss Ward, thence southeastwards along said boundary and generally southwards along the eastern boundary of the City to the point of commencement".

The ward was part of the Liverpool West Derby Parliamentary constituency.

2004 boundaries
A review by the Boundary Committee for England recommended that the council was formed of a reduced number of 90 members elected from 30 wards. Dovecot ward was dissolved and distributed into the new Yew Tree ward, with a small part going into the new Knotty Ash ward. The new ward gained parts of the former Broadgreen, Croxteth, and Gillmosswards.

The ward boundaries follow the city boundary to East Prescot Road, Youens Way, around the Bradbury Centre and Broughton Hall High School, Yew Tree Lane, Leyfield Road, Deysbrook Lane, Crown Road, Melwood Drive, Croxteth Hall Lane, and the southern boundary of Croxteth Park.

The population of the ward taken at the 2011 census was 16,746, and at the 2021 census was 16,772.

2023 boundaries
The ward boundaries were changed in 2023 following a review by the Local Government Boundary Commission for England which decided that the existing 30 wards each represented by three Councillors should be replaced by 64 wards represented by 85 councillors with varying representation by one, two or three councillors per ward. The Yew Tree ward was retained as a two-member ward taking most of the former ward which lost its north-west corner to the new West Derby Deysbrook ward and a small portion to the new West Derby Leyfield ward.

The population of the ward at the 2021 census was 11,240.

Councillors
The ward has returned seven Councillors

Elections of the 2000s
After the boundary change of 2004 the whole of Liverpool City Council faced election. Three Councillors were returned at this election.

• italics denotes the sitting Councillor • bold denotes the winning candidate