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Essex County Council
Coat of arms or logo
Arms of Essex
Logo
Council logo
Type
Type
Leadership
Jill Reeves,
Conservative
since 17 May 2023[1]
Kevin Bentley,
Conservative
since 25 May 2021
Gavin Jones
since January 2016
Structure
Seats75 (38 needed for a majority)
Political groups
Administration (51)
  Conservative (51)
Other parties (24)
  Liberal Democrats (8)
  Labour (6)
  Independent (3)
  R4U (2)
  CIIP (2)
  Green (1)
  Loughton Residents (1)
  Rochford Residents (1)
Length of term
4 years
Elections
First-past-the-post
Last election
6 May 2021
Next election
1 May 2025
Meeting place
County Hall, Market Road, Chelmsford, CM1 1QH
Website
www.essex.gov.uk Edit this at Wikidata

Essex County Council is the county council that governs the non-metropolitan county of Essex in England. It has 75 councillors, elected from 70 divisions, and has been under Conservative majority control since 2001.[2] The council meets at County Hall in the centre of Chelmsford. It is a member of the East of England Local Government Association.

History

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Elected county councils were created under the Local Government Act 1888, taking over many administrative functions that had previously been performed by magistrates at the Quarter Sessions. The first elections were held in January 1889, and the council formally came into being on 1 April 1889. The council held its first official meeting on 2 April 1889 at the Shire Hall in Chelmsford. The first chairman of the council was Andrew Johnston of Woodford, a Liberal, who held the post for 27 years until he stood down in 1916.[3][4]

The area governed by the county council (called the "administrative county" until 1974) excluded county boroughs, which were towns considered large enough to provide their own county-level services. When the county council was established in 1889 there was one county borough within the wider county of Essex, at West Ham.[5] Other county boroughs were subsequently created, removing them from the administrative county, being Southend-on-Sea in 1914 and East Ham in 1915.[6][7] The administrative county was further reduced in 1965 under the London Government Act 1963 which transferred Barking, Chingford, Dagenham, Hornchurch, Ilford, Leyton, Romford, Walthamstow, and Wanstead and Woodford to Greater London.[8]

The county was reconstituted in 1974 as a non-metropolitan county under the Local Government Act 1972, which reformed the council's powers and responsibilities and saw it regain jurisdiction over Southend-on-Sea. The county was divided into 14 non-metropolitan districts at the same time, forming a lower tier of local government.[9] In 1998 two of the districts, Southend-on-Sea and Thurrock were made unitary authorities, removing them from the area controlled by Essex County Council and transferring county-level services to those councils.[10] For certain services, Essex, Southend and Thurrock co-operate through joint arrangements, such as the Essex County Fire and Rescue Service.

At the 2011 census Essex County Council served a population of 1,393,600, making it one of the largest local authorities in England. County council functions include social care, transport, education and many others.[11]

Political control

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The council has had a Conservative majority since 2001.

Political control of the county council since the reforms of the Local Government Act 1972 took effect on 1 April 1974 has been as follows:[12]

Party in control Years
Conservative 1974–1985
No overall control 1985–1989
Conservative 1989–1993
No overall control 1993–1998
Conservative 1998–1998
No overall control 1998–2001
Conservative 2001–present

Leadership

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The leaders of the council since 1996 have been:[13]

Councillor Party From To
Bill Archibald Labour May 1996
Chris Pearson Labour May 1996 May 1997
Mervyn Juliff Labour May 1997 Apr 1998
Paul White, Baron Hanningfield Conservative Apr 1998 May 1999
Mervyn Juliff Labour May 1999 Feb 2000
Paul White, Baron Hanningfield Conservative Feb 2000 9 Feb 2010
Peter Martin Conservative 9 Feb 2010 5 May 2013
David Finch Conservative 14 May 2013 9 May 2021
Kevin Bentley Conservative 25 May 2021

Composition

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Following the 2021 election and subsequent by-elections up to July 2024, the composition of the council was as follows:[14]

Party Councillors
Conservative 51
Liberal Democrats 8
Labour 6
Residents for Uttlesford 2
Canvey Island Independent Party 2
Green 1
Rochford District Residents 1
Loughton Residents Association 1
Independent 3
Total 75

The Canvey Island Independents, Green, Loughton Residents, Residents for Uttlesford, Rochford Residents and the three independent councillors all sit together as the "Non-aligned Group".[15] The next election is due in 2025.

Elections

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See also: Essex County Council elections

Since the last boundary changes in 2005 the council has comprised 75 councillors representing 70 electoral divisions, each electing one or two councillors. Elections are held every four years.[16]

Premises

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Shire Hall, Chelmsford: Used for council meetings 1889–1938.

The council is based at County Hall on Market Road in Chelmsford.[17]

From its creation in 1889 until 1938 the council met four times a year at Shire Hall in Chelmsford but met at other times at premises near Liverpool Street station in London, which was more accessible by train to the majority of councillors. In 1909 the council built itself an office building on Duke Street in Chelmsford with a view to later extending the building to include a council chamber, before deciding against the extension on grounds of cost.[18] The council's London premises moved several times, finally settling in 1931 at a building called Essex House at 26 Finsbury Square, which included offices, a council chamber and committee rooms.[19]

A new County Hall was built between 1929 and 1939 between Market Road, Threadneedle Street and Duke Street in Chelmsford, adjoining the 1909 office block. The new County Hall included a council chamber, which was formally opened on 23 September 1938.[20][21] The council's London premises at Finsbury Square were destroyed in the Blitz during the Second World War.[22] Further extensions were added to County Hall in the 1950s and 1960s, particularly along Market Road.[23]

Young Essex Assembly

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Essex County Council operates a Youth Assembly, comprising 75 members aged between 11 and 19 who aim to represent young people across Essex. The initiative seeks to engage younger people in the county, with the youth councillors working with schools and youth centres to improve youth services in Essex and help voice concerns of younger people. The Youth Assembly also sends representatives to the UK Youth Parliament.[24]

Notable members

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See also

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References

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  1. ^ Rees, Daniel (17 May 2023). "Essex Council elects new chairman Conservative Jill Reeves". Daily Gazette and Essex County Standard. Retrieved 6 June 2023.
  2. ^ Essex County Council — Councillor Map (pdf)
  3. ^ "Essex County Council: First statutory meeting". Chelmsford Chronicle. 5 April 1889. p. 6. Retrieved 12 June 2023.
  4. ^ "Andrew Johnston: County tribute of respect". Chelmsford Chronicle. 10 March 1922. p. 2. Retrieved 12 June 2023.
  5. ^ "West Ham County Borough". A Vision of Britain through Time. GB Historical GIS / University of Portsmouth. Retrieved 12 June 2023.
  6. ^ "Southend-on-Sea County Borough". A Vision of Britain through Time. GB Historical GIS / University of Portsmouth. Retrieved 12 June 2023.
  7. ^ "East Ham County Borough". A Vision of Britain through Time. GB Historical GIS / University of Portsmouth. Retrieved 12 June 2023.
  8. ^ "London Government Act 1963", legislation.gov.uk, The National Archives, 1963 c. 33, retrieved 12 June 2023
  9. ^ "Local Government Act 1972", legislation.gov.uk, The National Archives, 1972 c. 70, retrieved 12 June 2023
  10. ^ "The Essex (Boroughs of Colchester, Southend-on-Sea and Thurrock and District of Tendring) (Structural, Boundary and Electoral Changes) Order 1996", legislation.gov.uk, The National Archives, SI 1996/1875, retrieved 26 May 2023
  11. ^ "Education Access Coordinator". localgov.co.uk.
  12. ^ "Compositions calculator". The Elections Centre. Retrieved 3 March 2023.
  13. ^ "Council minutes". Essex County Council. Retrieved 1 June 2022.
  14. ^ "Essex". Local Councils. Thorncliffe. Retrieved 7 July 2024.
  15. ^ "Councillors". Essex County Council. Retrieved 13 June 2023.
  16. ^ "The County of Essex (Electoral Changes) Order 2004", legislation.gov.uk, The National Archives, SI 2004/2813, retrieved 12 June 2023
  17. ^ "Council meetings". Essex County Council. Retrieved 13 June 2023.
  18. ^ "Forty thousand pounds for new county offices?". Chelmsford Chronicle. 3 April 1914. p. 5. Retrieved 13 June 2023.
  19. ^ "Court and social". Chelmsford Chronicle. 20 November 1931. p. 7. Retrieved 13 June 2023.
  20. ^ Historic England. "Blocks C & D, County Hall (1391892)". National Heritage List for England. Retrieved 13 June 2023.
  21. ^ "The County Hall". Chelmsford Chronicle. 30 September 1938. p. 9. Retrieved 13 June 2023.
  22. ^ Aitken, Rosalind (2010). Finwell House, Finsbury Square, London: Method Statement or Written Scheme of Investigation for an archaeological watching brief (PDF). London Borough of Islington. p. 5. Retrieved 13 June 2023.
  23. ^ Bettley, James; Pevsner, Nikolaus (2007). Essex (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England). Yale University Press. p. 210. ISBN 978-0300116144.
  24. ^ "Young Essex Assembly". Retrieved 12 June 2023.
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