Borough of Basildon

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Borough of Basildon
Non-metropolitan district and borough
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Basildon, the administrative centre of the borough
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Basildon shown within Essex
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Sovereign stateUnited Kingdom
CountryEngland
RegionEast of England
Non-metropolitan countyEssex
StatusNon-metropolitan district, Borough
Admin HQBasildon
Incorporated1 April 1974
Government
 • TypeNon-metropolitan district council
 • BodyBasildon Borough Council
 • MPsRichard Holden,
James McMurdock,
Mark Francois
Area
 • Total
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 • Rank187th (of 296)
Population
 (2024)
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Population
 (2024)
 • Total
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 • RankTemplate:English district rank (of 296)
 • DensityScript error: No such module "ConvertIB".
Template:Pluralize from textTemplate:Pluralize from text
Ethnicity (2021)
[1]
 • Ethnic groups
List
Religion (2021)
[1]
 • Religion
List
Time zoneUTC0 (GMT)
 • Summer (DST)UTC+1 (BST)
Template:Pluralize from textTemplate:Pluralize from text
GSS codeE07000066
OS grid referenceScript error: No such module "Ordnance Survey coordinates".

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The Borough of Basildon is a local government district with borough status in Essex, England. It is named after its largest town, Basildon, where the council is based. The borough also includes the towns of Billericay and Wickford, and surrounding rural areas.

The borough borders the City of Chelmsford to the north, the Borough of Brentwood to the west, the Thurrock unitary authority area to the south, the Borough of Castle Point to the south-east, and Rochford District to the north-east.

History

Billericay Urban District was created in 1934.[2] In 1955, it was renamed Basildon Urban District[3] to reflect the growth of Basildon, which had been designated a new town in 1949.[4]

Urban districts were abolished on 1 April 1974, under the Local Government Act 1972. On this date, a new non-metropolitan district called Basildon was created, covering the whole area of the former Basildon Urban District plus the small part of the neighbouring Thurrock Urban District which fell within the designated area for Basildon New Town.[5][6]

In the 1990s, Basildon applied to become a unitary authority but this was declined. The government asserted that the divergent interests of the three main towns meant any change to the status quo should involve splitting the borough; with Billericay and Wickford joining the districts of Brentwood and Rochford respectively.[7][8]

The district was awarded borough status in 2010, allowing the chair of the council to take the title of Mayor, with Mo Larkin being appointed the first.[9][10]

Under upcoming local government reform plans the area of the district will be combined with existing Thurrock unitary authority to form a larger South West Essex unitary from 2028.[11]

Governance

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Basildon Borough Council
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Type
Type
History
Founded1 April 1974
Leadership
Sam Journet,
Reform UK
since 21 May 2026
Andy Barnes,
Conservative
since 21 May 2026[12]
Gavin Jones
since 20 January 2025[13][14]
Structure
Seats42 councillors
Political groups
Administration (12)
Page Template:Legend/styles.css has no content.  Conservative (12)
Other parties (30)
Page Template:Legend/styles.css has no content.  Labour (12)
Page Template:Legend/styles.css has no content.  Reform UK (11)
Page Template:Legend/styles.css has no content.  Independent (4)
Page Template:Legend/styles.css has no content.  Wickford Ind. (3)
Length of term
Third of council elected three years out of four
Elections
Last election
7 May 2026
Next election
2027 (TBD)
Meeting place
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The Basildon Centre, St Martin's Square, Basildon, SS14 1DL
Website
www.basildon.gov.uk

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File:Billericay High Street.jpg
Billericay, one of the towns in the borough
File:Junction of Wickford High Street and the A129 - geograph.org.uk - 1036287.jpg
Wickford, another town in the borough
File:Ramsden Bellhouse - geograph.org.uk - 2124909.jpg
Ramsden Bellhouse, one of the villages in the borough

Basildon Borough Council provides district-level services, while County-level services are provided by Essex County Council. Parts of the borough are also covered by civil parishes, which form a third tier of local government.[15]

Political control

The council has been under no overall control since the 2024 election[16], with Conservatives and Labour the joint largest parties since the 2026 election.[17] The council is run by a minority Conservative administration.

The first election to the council was held in 1973, initially operating as a shadow authority alongside the outgoing authorities until the new arrangements came into effect on 1 April 1974. Political control of the council since 1974 has been as follows:[18][19]

Party in control Years
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Script error: No such module "Party name with color". 1976–1982
Script error: No such module "Party name with color". 1982–1987
Script error: No such module "Party name with color". 1987–1990
Script error: No such module "Party name with color". 1990–1991
Script error: No such module "Party name with color". 1991–1992
Script error: No such module "Party name with color". 1992–1994
Script error: No such module "Party name with color". 1994–1996
Script error: No such module "Party name with color". 1996–2000
Script error: No such module "Party name with color". 2000–2003
Script error: No such module "Party name with color". 2003–2014
Script error: No such module "Party name with color". 2014–2018
Script error: No such module "Party name with color". 2018–2019
Script error: No such module "Party name with color". 2019–2021
Script error: No such module "Party name with color". 2021–2024
Script error: No such module "Party name with color". 2024–present

Leadership

The role of mayor is largely ceremonial in Basildon. Political leadership is instead provided by the leader of the council. The leaders since 1996 have been:[20]

Councillor Party From To
John Potter Script error: No such module "Party name with color". 1996 May 2002
Nigel Smith[21][22] Script error: No such module "Party name with color". May 2002 Oct 2002
Malcolm Buckley[23][24] Script error: No such module "Party name with color". Nov 2002 21 May 2009
Tony Ball[25][26] Script error: No such module "Party name with color". 21 May 2009 May 2014
Phil Turner[27] Script error: No such module "Party name with color". 12 Jun 2014 25 May 2017
Gavin Callaghan[28][29][30] Script error: No such module "Party name with color". 25 May 2017 May 2018
Andrew Baggott[31] Script error: No such module "Party name with color". 24 May 2018 May 2019
Gavin Callaghan[32][28] Script error: No such module "Party name with color". 23 May 2019 May 2021
Andrew Baggott[33][34] Script error: No such module "Party name with color". 27 May 2021 May 2024
Gavin Callaghan[35] Script error: No such module "Party name with color". 23 May 2024 May 2026
Andy Barnes Script error: No such module "Party name with color". 21 May 2026

Composition

Following the 2026 election, the composition of the council was:[36]

Party Councillors
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Total 42

The 4 independent councillors sit together as the Independent Group.[37] The next election is due in May 2027.[38]

Premises

The council has its headquarters at the Basildon Centre on St Martin's Square in Basildon Town Centre. The building was purpose-built for the council in 1989, at a cost of £17.5 million. It was formally opened on 14 November 1989 by Jack Cunningham, the Shadow Leader of the House of Commons. The building also contains the town's library.[39]

Elections

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Essex County Council elections are held in the fourth year of the cycle when there are no borough council elections.[40]

Towns and parishes

File:Basildon population pyramid.svg
Basildon population pyramid

There are nine civil parishes in the borough. The town of Basildon itself is an unparished area, as is a small area west of Wickford.[41] The parish councils for Billericay and Wickford are styled "town councils", whilst that for Great Burstead and South Green is styled a "village council". The civil parishes are:[42]

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Geography

File:Basildon.png
Constituencies within the Basildon district.
Blue: Billericay and Basildon
Red: Basildon South and Thurrock East
Green: Rayleigh and Wickford

The district has three main urban areas: Basildon, Billericay and Wickford. Proposals to move Billericay and Wickford to other districts, leaving Basildon district more focused on the new town, were considered in the 1990s, but were rejected.[43]

The new town of Basildon grew to absorb four earlier settlements: Laindon, Basildon, Vange and Pitsea (from west to east) which have merged with other minor hamlets.

The remaining land, approximately half of the district is designated as green belt, has several sites of special scientific interest: two are around Billericay and the remainder are to the south of Basildon New Town. There are also wildlife areas of varying sizes around most of the district, except in the east.

The source of the River Crouch is in the district; it runs across the district, through Wickford before it leaves the district.

In the west of the Basildon district, the Dunton Plotlands is an area of small plots of land used as weekend cottages or smallholdings inhabited during the mid-20th century.

List of settlements

It contains the towns of:

  • Basildon (the administrative headquarters)
  • Billericay
  • Wickford.

Villages within the district are:

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Regeneration plans

Basildon District is a prosperous business location and has in recent years seen significant inward investment and jobs growth. There are major developments planned estimated to total nearly £2 billion; these include:

  • The regeneration of Basildon, Wickford, Pitsea and Laindon town centres
  • A new sporting village and improvements to playing pitches and sports facilities throughout the district, including an Olympic (50m) size swimming pool
  • The creation of a health and education research centre, near Basildon and Thurrock University Hospital and further education college
  • Investment in the Basildon Enterprise Corridor, the largest business area in the Thames Gateway outside London. It is home to 45,000 jobs and over 5,000 businesses, including Ford, Selex, Visteon, Case New Holland, First Data Europe, International Financial Services Limited, RBS and Starbucks
  • The creation of one of the largest wetland nature reserves in Europe in the Thames Marshes by the RSPB, Land Restoration Trust, Basildon District Council and Veolia
  • A strategic review of the district's housing, with investment in housing estates such as Craylands, Five Links and Felmores to create first class places to live.

Co-ordinating and promoting this programme of investment is the Basildon Renaissance Partnership, which was set up in 2003 by Basildon District Council. Its partners also include the East of England Development Agency, English Partnerships, Essex County Council and the Thames Gateway South Essex Partnership, with support from the Department for Communities and Local Government.

It was reported that the council had decided to sell a plot of land it bought for £1 million for £1 in order to build a four-star hotel. The Conservative leader described the sale as "doomed to failure".[44]

Transport

Railway

The district is connected to London and Southend via two railway lines:

Buses

The area is served primarily by First Essex, along with NIBS Buses and Ensignbus; they operate routes throughout the borough, to Brentwood, Chelmsford, Southend, Grays, Lakeside shopping centre and Upminster.[47]

Roads

Four primary routes run within the district:

  • A13 - goes through the south-east at Pitsea
  • A127 - passes through its centre
  • A129 - the major road link between Billericay and Wickford, which are linked via A-roads to the urban area of Basildon, Pitsea and Laindon by the A176 and the A132 respectively
  • A130 - connects the district with Chelmsford.

The A13 and A127 both connect the district with Greater London and Southend-on-Sea. In Bowers Gifford, at a terminus of the A13's primary status, there is a junction with the beginning of primary status for the A130, which runs along a small section of the western boundary of the district.

Freedom of the borough

The following people and military units have received the Freedom of the Borough of Basildon.[48]

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Individuals

Military units

Organisations and groups

  • Basildon & Brentwood Clinical Commissioning Group: 27 May 2021
  • Mid and South Essex NHS Foundation Trust: 27 May 2021
  • North East London NHS Foundation Trust: 27 May 2021
  • Essex Partnership University NHS Foundation Trust: 27 May 2021[50]
  • East of England Ambulance Service NHS trust: 23 October 2021.[51]

References

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  1. ^ a b Template:NOMIS2021
  2. ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content."Billericay Urban District". A Vision of Britain through Time. GB Historical GIS / University of Portsmouth. Retrieved 18 March 2024.
  3. ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content."Basildon Urban District". A Vision of Britain through Time. GB Historical GIS / University of Portsmouth. Retrieved 1 June 2023.
  4. ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content.[Script error: No such module "London Gazette util". "No. 38507"]. The London Gazette (Script error: No such module "London Gazette util".). 7 January 1949. p. Script error: No such module "London Gazette util".. {{cite magazine}}: Check |url= value (help); More than one of |pages= and |page= specified (help)Script error: No such module "London Gazette util".
  5. ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content."The English Non-metropolitan Districts (Definition) Order 1972", legislation.gov.uk, The National Archives, SI 1972/2039, retrieved 31 May 2023
  6. ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content."The English Non-metropolitan Districts (Names) Order 1973", legislation.gov.uk, The National Archives, SI 1973/551, retrieved 31 May 2023
  7. ^ The Local Government Review in England Research Paper 95/84 House of Commons Library https://researchbriefings.files.parliament.uk/documents/RP95-84/RP95-84.pdf
  8. ^ The 1995 Review of 21 Districts in England: Overview Report - Local Government Commission for England
  9. ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content."Basildon to get its first Mayor". Basildon District Council. 15 September 2010. Archived from the original on 18 July 2011. Retrieved 15 September 2010.
  10. ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content."Basildon district becomes borough". BBC News. 15 September 2010. Retrieved 26 March 2011.
  11. ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content."Local Government Reorganisation Statement made on 25 March 2026". UK Parliament. Retrieved 25 March 2026.
  12. ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content."Tory and Reform deal in place to run council". BBC News. 22 May 2026. Retrieved 22 May 2026.
  13. ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content.Boakye, Kwame (25 October 2024). "District appoints new chief". Local Government Chronicle. Retrieved 30 May 2025.
  14. ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content."Council minutes, 16 January 2025". Basildon Council. Retrieved 30 May 2025.
  15. ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content."Local Government Act 1972", legislation.gov.uk, The National Archives, 1972 c. 70, retrieved 31 May 2023
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  21. ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content."Basildon: Nigel is appointed leader". Daily Gazette / Essex County Standard. 17 May 2002. Retrieved 30 May 2025.
  22. ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content."Basildon: Labour throw in the towel". Daily Gazette / Essex County Standard. 17 October 2002. Retrieved 30 May 2025.
  23. ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content.Berrill, Lewis (25 March 2022). "Basildon: Councillor Malcolm Buckley set to retire". Basildon Echo. Retrieved 30 May 2025.
  24. ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content.Gaudry, Adam (22 May 2009). "Malcolm reflects on his time in politics". Basildon Echo. Retrieved 30 May 2025.
  25. ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content."Cllr Tony Ball". Local Government Association. Retrieved 30 May 2022.
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  39. ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content.Behringer, Kim (24 November 1989). "MP praises new centre". Billericay Gazette. p. 3. Retrieved 1 June 2023.
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  43. ^ LGCE.Final Recommendations on the Future Local Government of: Basildon & Thurrock; Blackburn & Blackpool; Broxtowe, Gedling & Rushcliffe; Dartford & Gravesham; Gillingham & Rochester Upon Medway; Exeter; Gloucester; Halton & Warrington; Huntingdonshire & Peterborough; Northampton; Norwich; Spelthorne; and the Wrekin. December 1995.
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  49. ^ a b Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content.Thomson, Charles (25 November 2019). "Basildon war hero and hospice founder awarded Freedom of the Borough". Yellow Advertiser. Retrieved 15 April 2020.
  50. ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content.Ferris, Mick (28 May 2021). "Freedom of Entry to the borough status awarded to Basildon's NHS heroes". Yellow Advertiser. Retrieved 26 June 2021.
  51. ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content.Emes, Toby (23 October 2021). "East of England Ambulance service given freedom of Basildon". The Basildon Canvey Southend Echo. Retrieved 24 October 2021.

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