Essex
§ This page provides an overview of an England's ceremonial county. Our website has 48 such county pages.
Overview ⁞ Essex lies to the northeast of London and is one of England’s most populous counties. It balances suburban sprawl, historic towns like Colchester (considered Britain's oldest recorded town), coastal resorts like Southend-on-Sea and Clacton, and rural villages. While Greater London expansion influenced parts of southern Essex, the north remains largely agricultural. The county includes two unitary authorities—Southend-on-Sea and Thurrock—but all are part of the ceremonial Essex.
Is Essex a historic county? Yes—Essex is a historic county. Administratively, the ceremonial county includes Essex County Council (with its districts) plus the separate unitary authorities of Southend-on-Sea and Thurrock.
Essex has 14 Local Authority Districts. The chart below shows how this compares with other counties in England.
Local Authorities in Essex
- Essex County Council (County Council) 🔗 essex.gov.uk
- Basildon Borough Council (District Council) 🔗 basildon.gov.uk
- Braintree District Council (District Council) 🔗 braintree.gov.uk
- Brentwood Borough Council (District Council) 🔗 brentwood.gov.uk
- Castle Point District Council (District Council) 🔗 castlepoint.gov.uk
- Chelmsford City Council (District Council) 🔗 chelmsford.gov.uk
- Colchester City Council (District Council) 🔗 colchester.gov.uk
- Epping Forest District Council (District Council) 🔗 eppingforestdc.gov.uk
- Harlow District Council (District Council) 🔗 harlow.gov.uk
- Maldon District Council (District Council) 🔗 maldon.gov.uk
- Rochford District Council (District Council) 🔗 rochford.gov.uk
- Tendring District Council (District Council) 🔗 tendringdc.gov.uk
- Uttlesford District Council (District Council) 🔗 uttlesford.gov.uk
- Southend-on-Sea Borough Council (Unitary Authority) 🔗 southend.gov.uk
- Thurrock Council (Unitary Authority) 🔗 thurrock.gov.uk
Essex, in England’s East of England region, has a two-tier system of local government with Essex County Council providing county-wide services such as education, highways, and social care, alongside 12 district, borough, and city councils that manage local matters including planning, housing, and waste collection. These are Basildon, Braintree, Brentwood, Castle Point, Chelmsford, Colchester, Epping Forest, Harlow, Maldon, Rochford, Tendring, and Uttlesford. In addition, Southend-on-Sea and Thurrock operate as separate unitary authorities, independent of the county council, each responsible for all local services within their areas. Together, these councils serve a county that includes the historic city of Chelmsford, the Roman heritage of Colchester, coastal towns like Southend and Clacton, and extensive rural and commuter communities, balancing strategic county-wide responsibilities with local governance.
Districts in Essex
- Basildon
- Braintree
- Brentwood
- Castle Point
- Chelmsford
- Colchester
- Epping Forest
- Harlow
- Maldon
- Rochford
- Southend-on-Sea
- Tendring
- Thurrock
- Uttlesford
(ITL 1) East of England
(ITL 2) ⇒ Essex
(ITL 3) ⇒⇒ Southend-on-Sea ⁞ Thurrock ⁞ Essex Haven Gateway ⁞ West Essex ⁞ Heart of Essex ⁞ Essex Thames Gateway
Constituencies in Essex
- Basildon and Billericay
- Braintree
- Brentwood and Ongar
- Castle Point
- Chelmsford
- Clacton
- Colchester
- Epping Forest
- Harlow
- Harwich and North Essex
- Maldon
- North West Essex
- Rayleigh and Wickford
- South Basildon and East Thurrock
- Southend East and Rochford
- Southend West and Leigh
- Thurrock
- Witham
A constituency is a specific geographical area that elects one Member of Parliament (MP) to represent them in the House of Commons. The United Kingdom is divided into 650 parliamentary constituencies, 18 of them are in Essex.