Basildon (borough)

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.

History

Billericay Urban District was created in 1934. In 1955 it was renamed Basildon Urban District to reflect the growth of Basildon, which had been designated a new town in 1949.

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.

In the 1990s 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.

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.

Governance

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.

Political control

The council has been under no overall control since the 2024 election, with Labour the largest party. An administration of Labour and the independent councillors subsequently formed to run the council.

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: (Put "Basildon" in search box to see specific results.)

Leadership

The role of mayor is largely ceremonial in Basildon. Political leadership is instead provided by the leader of the council. The leaders since 1996 have been:

Composition

Following the 2024 election, the composition of the council was:

The six independent councillors sit together as the Independent Group, which forms part of the council's administration with Labour, holding a cabinet position. The next election is due in May 2028.

Premises

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.

Elections

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.

Towns and parishes

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. 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:

*Billericay
*Bowers Gifford and North Benfleet
* Great Burstead and South Green
* Little Burstead
* Noak Bridge
* Ramsden Bellhouse
* Ramsden Crays
* Shotgate
*Wickford

Geography

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.LGCE. ''Final Recommendations on the Future Local Government of: Basildon & Thurrock, Blackburn & Blackpool, Broxtowe, Gedling & Rushcliffe, Dartford & Gravesham, Gillingham & Rochester Upon Medway, Exeter, Gloucester, Halton & Warrington, Huntingdonshire & Peterborough, Northampton, Norwich, Spelthorne and the Wrekin.'' December 1995.

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.

List of settlements

It contains the towns of:

* Basildon (the administrative headquarters)
** Laindon
** Langdon Hills
** Pitsea
** Vange
* Billericay
* Wickford

Villages within the district are:
* Bowers Gifford
* Crays Hill
* Dunton Wayletts
* Great Burstead
* Havering's Grove (part)
* Little Burstead
* Nevendon
* North Benfleet
* Ramsden Bellhouse
* Shotgate
* Great Berry

Regeneration plans

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:

*The regeneration of Basildon, Wickford, Pitsea, and Laindon Town Centres
*A new Sporting Village and improvements to playing pitches and sports facilities throughout the District to make Basildon the Centre for Sport in South Essex. The sporting village is expected in 2010, and is being highly sought after as an Olympic training base for one of the top teams, including the Russians. Its combined benefits, of having some of the top facilities so close to London, including one of the few Olympic (50m) size pools in the UK, will make it a true asset to whatever team(s) use it.
*The creation of a health and education research centre near Basildon and Thurrock University Hospital and FE College
*Investment in the Basildon Enterprise Corridor, the largest business area in the Thames Gateway outside London, home to 45,000 jobs and over 5,000 businesses, including Ford, Selex, Visteon, Case New Holland, First Data Europe, International Financial Services Limited, RBS, and Starbucks
*The creation of one of the largest wetland nature reserves in Europe in the Thames Marshes by the RSPB, Land Restoration Trust, Basildon District Council and Veolia
*A strategic review of the District's housing, with investment in housing estates such as Craylands, Five Links and Felmores to create first class places to live

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.

Transport

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.

Freedom of the Borough

The following people and military units have received the Freedom of the Borough of Basildon.

Individuals

* Max Whitlock: February 2016.
* Stuart Bingham: February 2016.
* Trudi Westmore-Cox: September 2019.
* Donald Sheppard: September 2019.

Military Units

* The Royal Anglian Regiment: April 2011.

Organisations and groups

* Basildon & Brentwood Clinical Commissioning Group: 27 May 2021.
* Mid and South Essex NHS Foundation Trust: 27 May 2021.
* North East London NHS Foundation Trust: 27 May 2021.
* Essex Partnership University NHS Foundation Trust: 27 May 2021.
* The East of England Ambulance Service NHS trust: 23 October 2021.

References

External links

Basildon District Home Page

Basildon Renaissance Partnership

Basildon Heritage

Basildon Borough History

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Non-metropolitan districts of Essex
Boroughs in England