A mixture of rented and owner occupied houses. Historically one of the country's deprived areas. Unemployment is higher than the national average and the number of people on government schemes is among the highest in England and Wales. Merseyside docks are still in operation, most of the post operation is in Bootle.

However, employment prospects have improved markedly in recent years through the presence of increased office development - the headquarters of Girobank and also the introduction of the New Deal and other government initiatives. Since 1997 a significant drop in unemployment has been experienced.