Braintree District

History

The district was formed on 1 April 1974 under the Local Government Act 1972 as one of 14 districts within Essex. The new district covered the area of five former districts, which were all abolished at the same time:

• Braintree and Bocking Urban District
• Braintree Rural District
• Halstead Rural District
• Halstead Urban District
• Witham Urban District The new district was named Braintree, after the area's largest town.

Witham was originally planned to be in Maldon district, it was later decided to place it in Braintree district.

Governance

Conservative Conservative ;Administration (25) : ;Opposition (24) : : : : Braintree District Council provides district-level services. County-level services are provided by Essex County Council. Much of the district is also covered by civil parishes, which form a third tier of local government.

Political control

The council has been under Conservative control since 2007.

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:

Leadership

The leaders of the council since 1995 have been:

Composition

Following the 2023 election, and a subsequent change of allegiance in February 2025, the composition of the council was:

The Greens and seven of the independent councillors sit together as the "Independent and Green Group". The next election is due in 2027.

Premises

The council has its headquarters at Causeway House on Bocking End in Braintree. The building was purpose-built for the council and opened in 1981.

Elections

Since the last full review of boundaries in 2015, the council has comprised 49 councillors representing 26 wards, with each ward electing one, two or three councillors. Elections are held every four years.

Wards

The wards are:

• Bocking Blackwater
• Bocking North
• Bocking South
• Braintree Central & Beckers Green
• Braintree South
• Braintree West
• Bumpstead
• Coggeshall
• Gosfield & Greenstead Green
• Great Notley & Black Notley
• Halstead St Andrew's
• Halstead Trinity
• Hatfield Peverel & Terling
• Hedingham
• Kelvedon & Feering
• Rayne
• Silver End and Cressing
• Stour Valley North
• Stour Valley South
• The Colnes
• Three Fields
• Witham Central
• Witham North
• Witham South
• Witham West
• Yeldham

Towns and parishes

There are 63 civil parishes in the district. The former Braintree and Bocking Urban District, covering the town of Braintree itself, is an unparished area. The parish councils for Halstead and Witham are styled "town councils".

Arms

References

References

1. "Braintree Local Authority".
2. {{cite legislation UK. (1972)
3. {{cite legislation UK. (1973)
4. "Non-Metropolitan Districts". Hansard.
5. "Council minutes, 28 April 2025".
6. (21 June 2022). "Braintree District Council appoints Dan Gascoyne as new Chief Executive".
7. {{cite legislation UK. (1972)
8. "Compositions Calculator". University of Exeter.
9. "Braintree". [[BBC News Online]].
10. (4 October 2000). "Braintree: Council leader change". Daily Gazette.
11. (2 May 2003). "Braintree council leader defeated". East Anglian Daily Times.
12. (21 May 2003). "Council minutes". Braintree District Council.
13. (28 April 2004). "Council minutes". Braintree District Council.
14. "Councillor Graham Butland".
15. "Local elections 2023: live council results for England". The Guardian.
16. "Braintree". Thorncliffe.
17. "Councillors".
18. Plaque in building's porch reads: "This building was opened on 25th April 1981 by Councillor R. E. W. Hawkins / Chairman, Braintree District Council / Chief Executive P. W. Cotton / Project Manager D. J. Brisley"
19. {{cite legislation UK. (2014)
20. "Election Maps". Ordnance Survey.
21. "East of England Region". Civic Heraldry of England.