The Borough of Basildon is a local government district in south

Essex Essex () is a county in the East of England. One of the home counties, it borders Suffolk and Cambridgeshire to the north, the North Sea to the east, Hertfordshire to the west, Kent across the estuary of the River Thames to the south, and G ...

in the

East of England The East of England is one of the nine official regions of England. This region was created in 1994 and was adopted for statistics purposes from 1999. It includes the ceremonial counties of Bedfordshire, Cambridgeshire, Essex, Hertfordshire ...

, centred on the town of Basildon. It was formed as the Basildon District on 1 April 1974 from the former area of Basildon Urban District and the part of

Thurrock Urban District Thurrock was a local government district and civil parish in south Essex, England from 1936 to 1974. The parish and urban district was formed from the former area of the following civil parishes which had been abolished in 1936: *From Grays Thu ...

that was within the Basildon New Town. The population of the district as of 2010 is about 172,000. The local authority is

Basildon Borough Council Basildon ( ) is the largest town in the borough of Basildon, within the county of Essex, England. It has a population of 107,123. In 1931 the parish had a population of 1159. It lies east of Central London, south of the city of Chelmsford and ...

. The council made an application for

borough status Borough status is granted by royal charter to local government districts in England, Wales and Northern Ireland. The status is purely honorary, and does not give any additional powers to the council or inhabitants of the district. In Scotland, s ...

in February 2010 and this was given approval that year, with Mo Larkin becoming the first mayor in October. Junction of Wickford High Street and the A129 - geograph

Junction of Wickford High Street and the A129 - geograph

History

The Basildon District was created on 1 April 1974 as part of the local government reorganisation of the

Local Government Act 1972 The Local Government Act 1972 (c. 70) is an Act of the Parliament of the United Kingdom that reformed local government in England and Wales on 1 April 1974. It was one of the most significant Acts of Parliament to be passed by the Heath Gov ...

. It comprised the former area of the Basildon Urban District and the part of Basildon New Town that had been in

Governance

Elections to Basildon Borough Council are held in three out of every four years, with one third of the 42 seats on the council being elected at each election. Both the Conservative and

Labour Labour or labor may refer to: * Childbirth, the delivery of a baby * Labour (human activity), or work ** Manual labour, physical work ** Wage labour, a socioeconomic relationship between a worker and an employer ** Organized labour and the labour ...

parties have controlled the council at different times, as well as periods when no party has had a majority. The Conservative party controlled the council through a cabinet system of governance after winning a majority at the 2003 election. In May 2017 the council switched to a committee system with no party in overall control. The council is currently composed of the following councillors:

Parish and town councils

There are nine town, parish and village councils at present. They cover one quarter of the district and are: *Billericay Town Council *Bowers Gifford and North Benfleet Parish Council *Great Burstead & South Green Parish Council *Little Burstead Parish Council *Ramsden Bellhouse Parish Council *Ramsden Crays Parish Council *Noak Bridge Parish Council *Shotgate Parish Council *Wickford Town Council

Boundaries

To the north it borders the Borough of

Chelmsford Chelmsford () is a city in the City of Chelmsford district in the county of Essex, England. It is the county town of Essex and one of three cities in the county, along with Southend-on-Sea and Colchester. It is located north-east of London a ...

, to the east it borders the District of

Rochford Rochford is a town in Essex, England, north of Southend-on-Sea, from London and from Chelmsford, the county town. At the 2011 census, the Civil parishes in England, civil parish, which includes the town and London Southend Airport, had a popu ...

district, to the south east the Borough of Castle Point and to the west it borders the Borough of Brentwood. To the south the district has a boundary with the

unitary authority A unitary authority is a local authority responsible for all local government functions within its area or performing additional functions that elsewhere are usually performed by a higher level of sub-national government or the national governmen ...

of Thurrock.

Geography

The

district A district is a type of administrative division that, in some countries, is managed by the local government. Across the world, areas known as "districts" vary greatly in size, spanning regions or counties, several municipalities, subdivisions o ...

has three main population centres. The towns of Billericay and Wickford are two of the areas which both have surrounding villages. Occasional proposals have been made to move Billericay and Wickford to other districts, leaving Basildon more focused on the new town.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 other, largest, population centre is commonly referred to as Basildon and comprises three original settlements: Laindon, Basildon and Pitsea (from west to east) which have merged with other minor settlements to form the New Town, which is a continuous urban area. The remaining land, approximately half of the district is designated as

green belt A green belt is a policy and land-use zone designation used in land-use planning to retain areas of largely undeveloped, wild, or agricultural land surrounding or neighboring urban areas. Similar concepts are greenways or green wedges, which hav ...

, 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 The River Crouch is a small river that flows entirely through the English county of Essex. The distance of the Navigation between Holliwell Point which is north of Foulness Island and Battlesbridge is 17.5 Miles, i.e. 15.21 Nautical Miles. Ro ...

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 London is the capital and largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary down to the North Sea, and has been a majo ...

. In the west of the Basildon district, the

Dunton Plotlands The Dunton Plotlands was an area of small rural plots of land in Dunton Wayletts, southern Essex inhabited from the 1930s to the 1980s. The 'plotlands' consisted of small plots of land sold in the first half of the 20th century to people who buil ...

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 Langdon Hills is a township and former civil parish located in Basildon in Essex, England. It is located south of Laindon railway station on the London, Tilbury and Southend line. It is the location of the Langdon Hills Country Park, which is ...

** Pitsea ** Vange * Billericay * Wickford Villages within the district are: *

Bowers Gifford Bowers Gifford is a small village and former civil parish, now in the parish of Bowers Gifford and North Benfleet, in southern Essex, England. It is located east of Basildon, between Pitsea and Thundersley. Pillboxes in the surrounding fields tes ...

Crays Hill Crays Hill is a village in the Basildon borough of Essex, England. The River Crouch passes under Church Lane. The village was listed in Domesday Book of 1086 when the Lord of the manor and tenant-in-chief was Sasselin of Layer. Crays Hill was pa ...

Dunton Wayletts Dunton Wayletts is a hamlet in the unparished area of Basildon, on the western outskirts of Laindon, in the Borough of Basildon, Essex, England. It is located between the Southend Arterial Road (A127 road) and the London, Tilbury and Southend lin ...

Great Burstead Great Burstead is an urban settlement in Essex, England - it is contiguous with the town of Billericay. History By tradition, the origins of the church, St Mary Magdalene, at Great Burstead are linked to Saint Cedd (d.664). Cedd, a missionary m ...

* Havering's Grove (part) *

Little Burstead Little Burstead is a village in Essex, England. It lies 2¼ miles SSW of Billericay, and 4½ E by S of Brentwood railway station.Imperial Gazetteer of England and Wales, by John Marius Wilson, 1870-2 In 1086 the parish had 9 households and was he ...

* Nevendon *

North Benfleet North Benfleet is a village and former civil parish, now in the parish of Bowers Gifford and North Benfleet, in the Basildon borough of Essex, England, located between the towns of Basildon to the west and Thundersley to the east. It adjoins th ...

Ramsden Bellhouse Ramsden Bellhouse is a village and civil parish in Essex in the east of England. It is in the Borough of Basildon and in the parliamentary constituency of Billericay. The River Crouch flows through Ramsden Bellhouse, flowing under Church Road. ...

Shotgate Shotgate is a civil parish and village in Essex, England. On 1 April 2007, Shotgate became the first area of Wickford to have a Parish Council. History Mid-Iron Age pottery found at Shotgate Farm shows that the area was inhabited in 300 BC. I ...

Great Berry Basildon ( ) is the largest town in the borough of Basildon, within the county of Essex, England. It has a population of 107,123. In 1931 the parish had a population of 1159. It lies east of Central London, south of the city of Chelmsford and ...

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 an exciting step forward.

Transport

The district is connected to

and Southend via two train operators:

c2c Trenitalia c2c Limited,Companies House extract company no 789726 ...

and Abellio Greater Anglia. The route operated by c2c is the

London, Tilbury and Southend line The London, Tilbury and Southend line, also known as Essex Thameside, is a commuter railway line on the British railway system. It connects Fenchurch Street station, in central London, with destinations in east London and Essex, including , , , ...

. Three principal stations of the railway line are in the district:

Basildon railway station Basildon railway station is on the London, Tilbury and Southend line, serving the town of Basildon, Essex. It is down the main line from London Fenchurch Street and is situated between to the west and to the east. Its three-letter station c ...

Laindon railway station Laindon railway station is on the London, Tilbury and Southend line, serving the Laindon area of the borough of Basildon, Essex. It is down the main line from London Fenchurch Street and is situated between to the west and to the east. Its t ...

and

Pitsea railway station Pitsea railway station is on the London, Tilbury and Southend line, serving the small town of Pitsea in the borough of Basildon, Essex. It is situated at a junction where a loop via re-joins the main line via . Down the main line it is from L ...

The former Great Eastern service (now Abellio Greater Anglia) operates on the

Shenfield to Southend Line Shenfield is a commuter suburb of Brentwood, in the borough of Brentwood, Essex, England. In 2020, the suburb was estimated to have a population of 5,396. History The old village (now town), by the church and Green Dragon pub, lies along the ...

. Trains stop at Billericay and

Wickford railway station Wickford railway station is on the Shenfield to Southend Line and is also the western terminus of the Crouch Valley Line in the east of England, serving the town of Wickford in the Basildon district of Essex. It is down the line from Londo ...

. At Wickford, the Crouch Valley Line diverges from the Shenfield to Southend line. Three

primary route The United Kingdom has a network of roads, of varied quality and capacity, totalling about . Road distances are shown in miles or yards and UK speed limits are indicated in miles per hour (mph) or by the use of the national speed limit (NSL) sy ...

s are within the district. The

A127 The A127, also known as the Southend Arterial Road, is a major road in Essex, England. It was constructed as a new arterial road project in the 1920s, linking Romford with Southend-on-Sea, replacing the older A13. Formerly classified as a tr ...

goes through its centre, the A13 goes through the south-east at Pitsea. Both these primary routes connect the district with

Greater London Greater may refer to: *Greatness, the state of being great *Greater than, in inequality (mathematics), inequality *Greater (film), ''Greater'' (film), a 2016 American film *Greater (flamingo), the oldest flamingo on record *Greater (song), "Greate ...

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

. The A129 is the major road link between Billericay and Wickford, which are linked via

A-Roads A roads may be *motorways or freeways, usually where the local word for motorway begins with A (for example, ''Autobahn'' in German; ''Autostrada'' in Italian). * main roads or highways, in a system where roads are graded A, B and sometimes lower c ...

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 The Freedom of the City (or Borough in some parts of the UK) is an honour bestowed by a municipality upon a valued member of the community, or upon a visiting celebrity or dignitary. Arising from the medieval practice of granting respected ...

of Basildon.

Individuals

Max Whitlock Max Antony Whitlock (born 13 January 1993) is a British artistic gymnast. With fourteen medals and six titles in Olympic and world championships, Whitlock is the most successful gymnast in his nation's history, and the most successful pommel h ...

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

Military Units

* The

Royal Anglian Regiment The Royal Anglian Regiment (R ANGLIAN) is an infantry regiment of the British Army. It consists of two Regular battalions and one Reserve battalion. The modern regiment was formed in 1964, making it the oldest of the Line Regiments now operating i ...

: 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
{{DEFAULTSORT:Basildon, Borough of Non-metropolitan districts of Essex Boroughs in England