Essex County Council

Essex County Council
Coat of arms
Type
Type	Non-metropolitan county council of Essex
Structure
Seats	75^[1]
Joint committees	East of England Local Government Association
Conservatives	44 / 75
Liberal Democrats	9 / 75
Labour	9 / 75
UKIP	6 / 75
Green	2 / 75
Others	5 / 75
Elections
Voting system	First past the post
Last election	2013
Next election	2017
Meeting place
County Hall, Chelmsford
Website
www.essex.gov.uk

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 is currently controlled by the Conservative Party.^[2] The council meets at County Hall in the centre of Chelmsford. It is a member of the East of England Local Government Association.

Area and responsibilities

At the time of the 2011 census it served a population of 1,393,600, which makes it one of the largest local authorities in England. As a non-metropolitan county council, responsibilities are shared between districts (including boroughs) and in many areas also between civil parish (including town) councils. Births, marriages/civil partnerships and death registration, roads, libraries and archives, refuse disposal, most of state education, of social services and of transport are provided at the county level.^[3]

History

The county council was formed in 1889, governing the administrative county of Essex. West Ham, otherwise part of Essex at the time, was a county borough and therefore outside the area of responsibility for the county council. Southend-on-Sea (1914) and East Ham (1915) were also removed. In 1965 Barking, Chingford, Dagenham, Hornchurch, Ilford, Leyton, Romford, Walthamstow, and 'Wanstead and Woodford' were transferred to Greater London. The county council was reconstituted in 1974 as a non-metropolitan county council, regaining jurisdiction in Southend-on-Sea, however the non-metropolitan county was reduced in size in 1998 and the council passed responsibilities to Southend-on-Sea Borough Council and Thurrock Council in those districts. For certain services the three authorities co-operate through joint arrangements, such as the Essex fire authority.

Political control

As of 6 March, the composition of the council is as follows:

Party Affiliation		Number
	Conservative	44
	Labour	9
	Liberal Democrats	9
	UKIP	6
	Green	2
	Canvey Island Independent Party	1
	Independent Loughton Residents Association	1
	Residents for Uttlesford	1
	Tendring First	1
	Independent	1

Party or group in control		Years
	Conservative	1973 - 1985
	No overall control	1985 - 1989
	Conservative	1989 - 1993
	No overall control	1993 - 1997
	Conservative	1997–present

Notable members

Sir Sydney Walter Robinson (1876–1950), briefly Liberal member of parliament for Chelmsford
Beryl Platt, Baroness Platt of Writtle, Chairman 1971–1980
Robert Dixon-Smith, Baron Dixon-Smith, Chairman 1986–1989
Paul White, Baron Hanningfield, Chairman 1989–1992, Leader 2001–2010
Angela Smith, Baroness Smith of Basildon, member 1989–1993, later member of parliament for Basildon and a peer since 2010

References

County councils of England

Councils	Buckinghamshire Cambridgeshire Cumbria Derbyshire Devon Dorset East Sussex Essex Gloucestershire Hampshire Hertfordshire Kent Lancashire Leicestershire Lincolnshire Norfolk North Yorkshire Northamptonshire Nottinghamshire Oxfordshire Somerset Staffordshire Suffolk Surrey Warwickshire West Sussex Worcestershire

Elections	Buckinghamshire Cambridgeshire Cumbria Derbyshire Devon Dorset East Sussex Essex Gloucestershire Hampshire Hertfordshire Kent Lancashire Leicestershire Lincolnshire Norfolk North Yorkshire Northamptonshire Nottinghamshire Oxfordshire Somerset Staffordshire Suffolk Surrey Warwickshire West Sussex Worcestershire

Local authorities in Essex

County council and unitary	Essex Southend-on-Sea Thurrock

District councils	Basildon Braintree Brentwood Castle Point Chelmsford Colchester Epping Forest Harlow Maldon Rochford Tendring Uttlesford

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