| Election Name: | 2024 Epping Forest District Council election |
| Country: | Essex |
| Type: | parliamentary |
| Previous Election: | 2023 Epping Forest District Council election |
| Previous Year: | 2023 |
| Next Election: | 2026 Epping Forest District Council election |
| Next Year: | 2026 |
| Seats For Election: | All 54 seats to Epping Forest District Council |
| Majority Seats: | 28 |
| Leader1: | Chris Whitbread |
| Party1: | Conservative Party (UK) |
| Last Election1: | 34 seats, 48.3% |
| Seats Before1: | 34 |
| Seats1: | 29 |
| Seat Change1: | 5 |
| Popular Vote1: | 11,326 |
| Percentage1: | 38.2% |
| Swing1: | 10.1% |
| Leader2: | Ian Allgood |
| Party2: | Loughton Residents Association |
| Last Election2: | 13 seats, 0.0% |
| Seats Before2: | 13 |
| Seats2: | 13 |
| Popular Vote2: | 5,020 |
| Percentage2: | 17.0% |
| Swing2: | N/A |
| Leader3: | Jon Whitehouse |
| Party3: | Liberal Democrats (UK) |
| Last Election3: | 6 seats, 22.4% |
| Seats Before3: | 5 |
| Seats3: | 7 |
| Seat Change3: | 1 |
| Popular Vote3: | 4,654 |
| Percentage3: | 15.7% |
| Swing3: | 6.7% |
| Leader4: | None |
| Party4: | Independent politician |
| Last Election4: | 2 seats, 4.6% |
| Seats Before4: | 4 |
| Seats4: | 3 |
| Seat Change4: | 1 |
| Popular Vote4: | 5,285 |
| Percentage4: | 17.8% |
| Swing4: | 13.2% |
| Leader5: | Elizabeth Gabbett |
| Party5: | Green Party of England and Wales |
| Last Election5: | 2 seats, 2.1% |
| Seats Before5: | 2 |
| Seats5: | 1 |
| Seat Change5: | 1 |
| Popular Vote5: | 1,220 |
| Percentage5: | 4.1% |
| Swing5: | 2.0% |
| Leader6: | Martin Morris |
| Party6: | Labour Party (UK) |
| Last Election6: | 0 seats, 19.7% |
| Seats Before6: | 0 |
| Seats6: | 1 |
| Seat Change6: | 1 |
| Popular Vote6: | 6,667 |
| Percentage6: | 22.5% |
| Swing6: | 2.8% |
| Map Size: | x350px |
| Map2 Image: | 2024 Epping Forest District Council composition.svg |
| Map2 Size: | 400px |
| Map2 Caption: | Council composition following the election |
| Leader | |
| Posttitle: | Leader after election |
| Before Election: | Chris Whitbread |
| Before Party: | Conservative Party (UK) |
| After Election: | Chris Whitbread |
| After Party: | Conservative Party (UK) |
The 2024 Epping Forest District Council election was held on Thursday 2 May 2024, alongside the other local elections in the United Kingdom held on the same day. All 54 members of Epping Forest District Council in Essex were elected following boundary changes. The council remained under Conservative majority control.
Since its creation in 1974, only the Conservatives have ever formed majorities on the council. The party held control until 1994, before retaking the council from no overall control in 2007.[1] The Conservatives briefly fell behind both Labour and the Liberal Democrats in 1996, but regained their status as the largest party in 1999.
In the previous 2023 election, the Conservatives lost 1 seat with 48.3% of the vote, the Liberal Democrats gained 2 with 22.4%, independents and the Green Party gained and lost no seats with 4.6% and 2.1% respectively, and the British Democratic Party lost representation with 1.3% (their one councillor had been elected for the For Britain Movement). The Loughton Residents Association maintained their 13 seats.
Epping Forest usually elects its councillors in thirds, on a 4-year cycle. However, following boundary changes, all councillors will be elected to the new wards.[2] The change reduces the number of councillors by 4.
| Old wards[3] | No. of seats | New wards | No. of seats | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Broadley Common, Epping Upland and Nazeing | 1 | Buckhurst Hill East and Whitebridge | 3 | |
| Buckhurst Hill East | 2 | Buckhurst Hill West | 3 | |
| Buckhurst Hill West | 3 | Chigwell with Lambourne | 3 | |
| Chigwell Row | 1 | Epping East | 3 | |
| Chigwell Village | 2 | Epping West and Rural | 3 | |
| Chipping Ongar, Greensted and Marden Ash | 2 | Grange Hill | 3 | |
| Epping Hemnall | 3 | Loughton Fairmead | 3 | |
| Epping Lindsey and Thornwood Common | 3 | Loughton Forest | 3 | |
| Grange Hill | 3 | Loughton Roding | 3 | |
| Hastingwood, Matching and Sheering Village | 1 | Loughton St John’s | 3 | |
| High Ongar, Willingale and The Rodings | 1 | North Weald Bassett | 3 | |
| Lambourne | 1 | Ongar | 3 | |
| Loughton Alderton | 2 | Roydon and Lower Nazeing | 3 | |
| Loughton Broadway | 2 | Rural East | 3 | |
| Loughton Fairmead | 2 | Theydon Bois with Passingford | 3 | |
| Loughton Forest | 2 | Waltham Abbey North | 3 | |
| Loughton Roding | 2 | Waltham Abbey South and Rural | 3 | |
| Loughton St John's | 2 | Waltham Abbey West | 3 | |
| Loughton St Mary's | 2 | |||
| Lower Nazeing | 2 | |||
| Lower Sheering | 1 | |||
| Moreton and Fyfield | 1 | |||
| North Weald Bassett | 2 | |||
| Passingford | 1 | |||
| Roydon | 1 | |||
| Shelley | 1 | |||
| Theydon Bois | 2 | |||
| Waltham Abbey High Beach | 1 | |||
| Waltham Abbey Honey Lane | 3 | |||
| Waltham Abbey North East | 2 | |||
| Waltham Abbey Paternoster | 2 | |||
| Waltham Abbey South West | 2 |
Prior to the election the council was under Conservative majority control. The Conservatives retained their majority at this election, albeit with a reduced share of the seats.[4]
| After 2023 election | Before 2024 election[5] | After 2024 election[6] | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Seats | Party | Seats | Party | Seats | |||
| 34 | 34 | 29 | ||||||
| 13 | 13 | 13 | ||||||
| 6 | 5 | 7 | ||||||
| 2 | 4 | 3 | ||||||
| 2 | 2 | 1 | ||||||
| 0 | 0 | 1 | ||||||
|-
The Statement of Persons Nominated, which details the candidates standing in each ward, was released by Epping Forest District Council following the close of nominations on 8 April 2024.[8]