The ward was created for the elections held on 4 May 2023 following a 2022 review by the Local Government Boundary Commission for England, which decided that the previous 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 Waterfront North ward was created as a single-member ward from the western side of the former Kirkdale ward.[1]
The ward has a significantly smaller number of residents than other wards of the city, with a -85% variance from average at the 2019 figures used in the review, at 567. This had increased by the 2023 elections to 864. However, due to the expected significant redevelopment of the docklands it was projected that by 2027 the electorate would be 4,035, representing a -6% variance.[1]