Southend-on-Sea
§ This page gives an overview of the Southend-on-Sea 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 ⁞ Southend-on-Sea is a famous seaside resort town on the Thames Estuary in Essex, known for its beaches, amusement arcades, and the world’s longest pleasure pier. The seafront blends traditional attractions with modern leisure facilities, while the town centre offers shopping, cultural venues, and historic churches. Chalkwell, Leigh-on-Sea, and Shoeburyness add local character, with coastal landscapes, estuary views, and maritime heritage shaping the district.
The administrative boundary of Southend-on-Sea can be viewed on OpenStreetMap: District Boundary of Southend-on-Sea.
Key Facts about Southend-on-Sea
What region is Southend-on-Sea in? Southend-on-Sea is in the East of England of England, a region within the UK.
What county is Southend-on-Sea in? Southend-on-Sea is in the county of Essex.
Is Southend-on-Sea a city? Yes, Southend-on-Sea is a city. Southend-on-Sea holds official city status as one of the 76 designated cities in the UK.
Who governs Southend-on-Sea? The local government for this district is: Southend-on-Sea Borough Council (Unitary Authority).
▶ Official website of Southend-on-Sea Borough Council 🔗 southend.gov.uk
Which police force covers Southend-on-Sea? Policing in Southend-on-Sea 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.
Southend-on-Sea in International Geographies
In the International Territorial Levels (ITLs) hierarchy, Southend-on-Sea is an ITLs Level 3 area:
- (ITL 1) East of England
- (ITL 2) ⇒ Essex
- (ITL 3) ⇒⇒ Southend-on-Sea
The International Territorial Levels are used by OECD member countries for statistical purposes to classify administrative areas. We have this listable page for easy browsing of ITL names and codes: International Territorial Levels.
Constituencies in Southend-on-Sea
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 Southend-on-Sea
Southend-on-Sea is divided into 17 wards, listed below in alphabetical order.
- Belfairs
- Blenheim Park
- Chalkwell
- Eastwood Park
- Kursaal
- Leigh
- Milton
- Prittlewell
- Shoeburyness
- Southchurch
- St Laurence
- St. Luke's
- Thorpe
- Victoria
- West Leigh
- West Shoebury
- Westborough
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 Southend-on-Sea
Southend-on-Sea is part-parished: 1 civil parishes (listed A-Z below) alongside 3 unparished areas.
- Leigh-on-Sea
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 Southend-on-Sea
Southend-on-Sea covers 4 built-up areas, listed below in alphabetical order.
- Great Wakering *
- Rochford *
- Southend-on-Sea *
- Stonebridge *
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 Southend-on-Sea.)
Southend-on-Sea compared with other districts in the UK
This section shows how Southend-on-Sea compares with other local authority districts in the UK, using a variety of measures and rankings.
Southend-on-Sea has 17 electoral wards.
Southend-on-Sea has a population of 185,256 (2024 mid-year estimate by ONS)
More local statistics and data for Southend-on-Sea can be found on the ONS statistics for Southend-on-Sea.