Rochford District
Non-metropolitan district in England
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Rochford is a local government district in Essex, England. It is named after one of its main settlements, Rochford, where the council is based. The largest town in the district is Rayleigh. Other places in the district include Hockley, Ashingdon, Great Wakering, Canewdon and Hullbridge.
Rochford District | |
|---|---|
Rochford, the administrative centre and one of the towns of the district | |
 Rochford shown within Essex | |
| Sovereign state | United Kingdom |
| Constituent country | England |
| Region | East of England |
| Non-metropolitan county | Essex |
| Status | Non-metropolitan district |
| Admin HQ | Rochford |
| Incorporated | 1 April 1974 |
| Government | |
| • Type | Non-metropolitan district council |
| • Body | Rochford District Council |
| • Leadership | Alternative - Sec. 31 (No overall control) |
| • MPs | Bayo Alaba Mark Francois |
| Area | |
• Total | 65.44 sq mi (169.49 km2) |
| • Rank | 156th (of 296) |
| Population (2024) | |
• Total | 89,815 |
| • Rank | 270th (of 296) |
| • Density | 1,372.5/sq mi (529.91/km2) |
| Ethnicity (2021) | |
| • Ethnic groups | |
| Religion (2021) | |
| • Religion | List
|
| Time zone | UTC0 (GMT) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC+1 (BST) |
| ONS code | 22UL (ONS) E07000075 (GSS) |
| OS grid reference | TQ876904 |
The district borders Maldon District to the north, the City of Chelmsford to the north-west, the Borough of Basildon to the west, the Borough of Castle Point to the south-west, and the City of Southend-on-Sea to the south. To the east, it has a stretch of coast at Foulness Island.
Most of the built-up areas are in the western part of the district, along the railway line from Shenfield to Southend Victoria. Southend Airport straddles the district's border with the City of Southend-on-Sea. The eastern part of the district is more sparsely populated.
History
The district was formed on 1 April 1974 under the Local Government Act 1972, covering the whole area of two former districts, which were abolished at the same time:[2][3]
On 25 March 2026, it was announced that Rochford would be abolished in April 2028, along with all other local authorities in Essex. The government plans create a new South East Essex unitary authority area covering the current Castle Point, Southend-on-Sea and Rochford, commencing the transition period in 2027.[4]
Governance
Rochford District Council | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Type | |
| Type | |
| Leadership | |
Jonathan Stephenson since 1 August 2021[6] | |
| Structure | |
| Seats | 39 councillors |
 | |
Political groups |
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| Elections | |
Last election | 7 May 2026 |
| Meeting place | |
 | |
| Civic Suite, 2 Hockley Road, Rayleigh, SS6 8EB | |
| Website | |
| www | |
Rochford District Council provides district-level services. County-level services are provided by Essex County Council. The district is also entirely covered by civil parishes, which form a third tier of local government.[7]
Political control
The council has been under no overall control since 2023. Following the 2026 election, Reform UK became the largest party on the council and formed a minority administration to run the council.[8]
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:[9]
| Party in control | Years | |
|---|---|---|
| No overall control | 1974–1976 | |
| Conservative | 1976–1990 | |
| No overall control | 1990–1994 | |
| Liberal Democrats | 1994–1998 | |
| No overall control | 1998–2002 | |
| Conservative | 2002–2023 | |
| No overall control | 2023–present | |
Leadership
The leaders of the council since 2004 have been:
| Councillor | Party | From | To | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Terry Cutmore[10] | Conservative | 2004 | May 2019 | |
| Mike Steptoe[11] | Conservative | May 2019 | 9 Jul 2020 | |
| Simon Wootton[12][13] | Conservative | 9 Jul 2020 | May 2023 | |
| John Mason[14] | Rochford District Residents | 23 May 2023 | May 2024 | |
| James Newport[15][16] | Liberal Democrats | 21 May 2024 | May 2025 | |
| Danielle Belton[17][18] | Conservative | 20 May 2025 | May 2026 | |
| Adi Malviya[8] | Reform | 19 May 2026 | ||
Composition
Following the 2026 election and a subsequent by-election in June 2026, the composition of the council was:[19][20]
| Party | Councillors | |
|---|---|---|
| Reform | 12 | |
| Independent | 10 | |
| Conservative | 8 | |
| Liberal Democrats | 5 | |
| Rochford Resident | 4 | |
| Total | 39 | |
The next election is nominally scheduled for May 2027,[20] but is anticipated to be cancelled under current plans for local government reform which will see Rochford District Council be abolished in 2028 and the area become part of a new South East Essex unitary authority.[4]
Elections
Since the last boundary changes in 2016 the council has comprised 39 councillors representing 13 wards, with each ward electing three councillors. Elections are held three years out of every four for a third of the council at a time. Elections to Essex County Council are held in the fourth year of the cycle when there are no district council elections.[21]
Premises
The council has its main offices on South Street in Rochford. When the council was created it inherited the former Rochford Rural District Council's offices at Roche House, 7 South Street, Rochford and the former Rayleigh Urban District Council's offices at Barringtons, 2 Hockley Road, Rayleigh. Both buildings were converted houses. The council acquired other properties along South Street in Rochford and combined them with Roche House to form the council's headquarters.[22]
The civic suite wing of Barringtons in Rayleigh, including the council chamber, was retained by the council and serves as the council's main meeting place. It closed in 2020 but reopened in 2024 after a period of uncertainty about its future.[23][24][25]
Parishes
The district is divided into 14 civil parishes. The parish council for Rayleigh takes the style "town council".[26][27]
Arms
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