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.
Billericay Urban District was created in 1934.[1] In 1955 it was renamed Basildon Urban District[2] to reflect the growth of Basildon, which had been designated a new town in 1949. In the 1990’s Basildon applied to become a unitary authority but this was declined, with the government asserting 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.[3] [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]
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 mayor.[7] [8]
| Basildon Borough Council | |
| Term Length: | Third of council elected three years out of four |
| Coa Res: | 200px |
| Logo Pic: | Basildon Borough Council.svg |
| Logo Res: | 200px |
| Foundation: | 1 April 1974 |
| House Type: | Non-metropolitan district |
| Leader1 Type: | Mayor |
| Leader1: | Allan Davies |
| Party1: | Labour |
| Election1: | 23 May 2024[9] |
| Leader2 Type: | Leader |
| Leader2: | Gavin Callaghan |
| Party2: | Labour |
| Election2: | 23 May 2024 |
| Leader3 Type: | Chief Executive (interim) |
| Leader3: | Kim Bromley-Derry |
| Election3: | 2024[10] |
| Seats: | 42 councillors |
| Structure1 Res: | 260 |
| Political Groups1: |
|
| Last Election1: | 2 May 2024 |
| Next Election1: | 7 May 2026 |
| Session Room: | File:The Basildon Centre.jpg |
| Meeting Place: | The Basildon Centre, St Martin's Square, Basildon, SS141DL |
Basildon Borough Council provides district-level services. 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.[11]
The council has been under no overall control since the 2024 election, with Labour the largest party.[12] An administration of Labour and the independent councillors subsequently formed to run the council.[13]
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:[14] [15]
| Party in control | Years | |
|---|---|---|
| 1974–1976 | ||
| 1976–1982 | ||
| 1982–1987 | ||
| 1987–1990 | ||
| 1990–1991 | ||
| 1991–1992 | ||
| 1992–1994 | ||
| 1994–1996 | ||
| 1996–2000 | ||
| 2000–2003 | ||
| 2003–2014 | ||
| 2014–2018 | ||
| 2018–2019 | ||
| 2019–2021 | ||
| 2021–2024 | ||
| 2024–present | ||
The role of mayor is largely ceremonial in Basildon. Political leadership is instead provided by the leader of the council. The leaders since 2009 have been:[16]
| Councillor | Party | From | To | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tony Ball[17] | 21 May 2009 | 25 May 2014 | ||
| Phil Turner | 12 Jun 2014 | 25 May 2017 | ||
| Gavin Callaghan | 25 May 2017 | 24 May 2018 | ||
| Andrew Baggott | 24 May 2018 | 23 May 2019 | ||
| Gavin Callaghan | 23 May 2019 | 27 May 2021 | ||
| Andrew Baggott | 27 May 2021 | 23 May 2024 | ||
| Gavin Callaghan | 23 May 2024 | |||
Following the 2024 election, the composition of the council was:[18]
| Party | Councillors | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| 18 | |||
| 13 | |||
| 6 | |||
| 5 | |||
| Total | 42 | ||
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.[19]
Since the last boundary changes in 2024, the council has comprised 42 councillors representing 14 wards, with each ward electing three councillors. Elections are held in three out of every four years, with a third of the council (one councillor for each ward) elected each time for a four-year term of office. Essex County Council elections are held in the fourth year of the cycle when there are no borough council elections.[20]
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.[21] 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:[22]
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 rejected.[23]
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. The river runs across the district, through Wickford before it leaves the district.
The district is linked well by road and rail with significant surrounding destinations, including London.
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 twentieth century.
It contains the towns of:
Villages within the district are:
Basildon District is a prosperous business location and has in recent years seen significant inward investment and jobs growth. Throughout Basildon District there are major developments planned estimated to total nearly £2 billion. These include:
Coordinating 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.
The BBC noted the council had decided to sell for £1 a plot of land it bought next to the golf course for £1m in order to build a 4 star hotel. The Conservative leader described the sale as doomed to failure.[24]
The district is connected to London and Southend via two train operators: c2c and Abellio Greater Anglia. The route operated by c2c is the London, Tilbury and Southend line. Three principal stations of the railway line are in the district: Basildon railway station, Laindon railway station and Pitsea railway station
The former Great Eastern service (now Abellio Greater Anglia) operates on the Shenfield to Southend Line. Trains stop at Billericay and Wickford railway station. At Wickford, the Crouch Valley Line diverges from the Shenfield to Southend line.
Three primary routes are within the district. The A127 goes through its centre, the A13 goes through the south-east at Pitsea. Both these primary routes connect the district with Greater London and Southend-on-Sea. At Bowers Gifford at a terminus of the A13's primary status there is a junction with the beginning of primary status for the A130 with runs along a small section of the western boundary of the district. The A130 connects the district with Chelmsford. The A129 is 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.
The following people and military units have received the Freedom of the Borough of Basildon.[25]