constituency, represented by Bill Esterson, a member of the Labour Party. Sefton Central is now considered a safe Labour seat. For elections to Sefton Council, Formby is divided between two electoral wards with three councillors each. Harington ward, whose councillors are David Irving (Formby Residents Action Group) Denise Dutton (Conservative) and Joe Riley (Conservative); and Ravenmeols ward, whose councillors are Maria Bennett (Formby Residents Action Group), Catie Page (Labour) and Nina Killen (Labour). Locally Formby is governed by Formby Parish Council. Geography Formby is a coastal town, with an area of roughly 7 sq miles (17 km2), located in the borough of Sefton. The town is built upon the west of a large flat area of land called the West Lancashire Coastal Plain. Formby's highest point is within the sand dunes that separate the Irish Sea from Formby. However, these sand dunes are ever-changing in shape and formation, so there is no fixed point. The River Alt runs into the Irish Sea just south of Formby at Hightown. The town is rurally landlocked; the land between Formby and the areas of Southport, Ormskirk and Liverpool is green belt land and is used for arable agricultural purposes. The areas around the urban fringe are drained by irrigation ditches and open areas get boggy in the winter months. Earth in urban areas is well drained, very loose and sandy. The section of land between Formby and the coast is varied in vegetation, wildlife and terrain. This area includes pine forests (both natural and man-made), sand dunes, marram grass, deciduous woodland, seasonal ponds and lakes. Large areas of this land are protected by the National Trust. Formby is in a temperate climate zone, with mild winters and warm summers. Formby's coastline faces an ongoing threat from water-based erosion, with high tides washing away yards of sand dunes. In an attempt to stem this, in some years discarded Christmas trees are collected and planted by rangers and volunteers to help slow this effect. Economy The main shopping area is known locally as 'The village', in which the town upholds an array of shops including a Boots, Card Factory and Savers, alongside some independent outlets. The majority of these shops are located along the streets of Chapel Lane and Brows Lane, which also contains a number of coffee houses, including Costa Coffee and Cafe Nero, banks, travel agents, estate agents and charity shops. This tree-lined