Rochford
§ This page gives an overview of the Rochford local authority district, bringing together key facts, maps, and data to help you quickly understand the area. One of 361 district profiles on Baseview.
Overview ⁞ Rochford district lies in south Essex, with a mix of countryside, estuary coastline, and small towns. Rochford itself is a historic market town, while nearby settlements include Rayleigh, with its medieval castle mound, and Hockley, surrounded by woodlands. The district borders Southend and includes London Southend Airport. The Crouch and Roach estuaries shape its geography, with sailing, fishing, and nature reserves along the coastline. Villages and rural landscapes add to the district’s diversity, creating a balance between countryside and urban influence.
The administrative boundary of Rochford can be viewed on OpenStreetMap: District Boundary of Rochford.
Key Facts about Rochford
What region is Rochford in? Rochford is in the East of England of England, a region within the UK.
What county is Rochford in? Rochford is located in the county of Essex.
Is Rochford a city? No, Rochford is not a city. (Note: the UK has 76 officially designated cities.)
Who governs Rochford? The local authority for this district is: Rochford District Council - responsible for district-level services. Since Essex is a two-tier area, county-level services are handled by: Essex County Council.
▶ Official website of Rochford District Council 🔗 rochford.gov.uk
Which police force covers Rochford? Policing in Rochford is provided by Essex Police 🔗 essex.police.uk, which serves 14 local authority districts: Basildon ⁞ Braintree ⁞ Brentwood ⁞ Castle Point ⁞ Chelmsford ⁞ Colchester ⁞ Epping Forest ⁞ Harlow ⁞ Maldon ⁞ Rochford ⁞ Southend-on-Sea ⁞ Tendring ⁞ Thurrock ⁞ Uttlesford.
Constituencies in Rochford
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. We have this list page for easy browsing of all UK parliamentary constituencies: List of Constituencies.
Wards in Rochford
Rochford is divided into 13 wards, listed below in alphabetical order.
- Downhall and Rawreth
- Foulness and The Wakerings
- Hawkwell East
- Hawkwell West
- Hockley
- Hockley and Ashingdon
- Hullbridge
- Lodge
- Roche North and Rural
- Roche South
- Sweyne Park and Grange
- Trinity
- Wheatley
In the UK, a ward is a subdivision of a local authority area, used mainly for electoral and statistical purposes. Defined by the ONS, wards represent the primary unit for local elections, each returning one or more councillors to the local council. Wards are also used as a key geography for presenting population and census data.
Parishes in Rochford
Rochford is fully parished: 14 civil parishes, listed A-Z below.
- Ashingdon
- Barling Magna
- Canewdon
- Foulness
- Great Wakering
- Hawkwell
- Hockley
- Hullbridge
- Paglesham
- Rawreth
- Rayleigh
- Rochford
- Stambridge
- Sutton
A civil parish is the lowest tier of local government in England, used for villages, small towns, and suburbs. They have their own local authority, either a parish council or a parish meeting, which provides local services like managing parks, allotments, and streetlights, and represents the community's views to larger councils.
Built-up Areas in Rochford
Rochford covers 14 built-up areas, listed below in alphabetical order.
- Ashingdon
- Battlesbridge *
- Canewdon
- Creeksea
- Great Wakering *
- Hockley and Hawkwell
- Hullbridge
- Rawreth
- Rayleigh *
- Rochford *
- Southend-on-Sea *
- Stonebridge *
- Thundersley and South Benfleet *
- Wickford *
In the UK, a Built-up Area (BUA) is a continuous urban area of at least 20 hectares (0.2 km²), defined by the ONS as land where buildings are generally no more than 200 metres apart, such as towns, cities, or large villages. (Note: A BUA name marked with an asterisk (*) indicates that the area is situated partly in the district of Rochford.)
Rochford compared with other districts in the UK
This section shows how Rochford compares with other local authority districts in the UK, using a variety of measures and rankings.
Rochford has 13 electoral wards.
Rochford has a population of 89,815 (2024 mid-year estimate by ONS)
More local statistics and data for Rochford can be found on the ONS statistics for Rochford.