City of Colchester | |
|---|---|
 | |
 Colchester shown within Essex | |
| Sovereign state | United Kingdom |
| Constituent country | England |
| Region | East of England |
| Non-metropolitan county | Essex |
| Status | Non-metropolitan district,City, |
| Admin HQ | Colchester |
| Incorporated | 1 April 1974 |
| Government | |
| • Type | Non-metropolitan district council |
| • Body | Colchester City Council |
| • Leadership | (No overall control) |
| • MPs | Bernard Jenkin, Priti Patel, Pam Cox |
| Area | |
• Total | 128.64 sq mi (333.18 km2) |
| • Rank | 115th(of 296) |
| Population (2024) | |
• Total | 200,222 |
| • Rank | 100th(of 296) |
| • Density | 1,556.4/sq mi (600.94/km2) |
| Ethnicity(2021) | |
| • Ethnic groups | |
| Religion(2021) | |
| • Religion | List
|
| Time zone | UTC0 (GMT) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC+1 (BST) |
| ONS code | 22UG (ONS) E07000071 (GSS) |
| OS grid reference | TL997254 |
TheCity of Colchester is alocal government district withcity status inEssex, England, named after its main settlement,Colchester. With an estimated population of 200,222 in mid-2024,[2] it is the most populous district in Essex. The district includes the towns ofWest Mersea andWivenhoe, with surrounding rural areas stretching fromDedham Vale, on theSuffolk border in the north, toMersea Island in theColne Estuary in the south. It bordersTendring District to the east,Maldon District to the south,Braintree District to the west andBabergh District in Suffolk to the north.
Colchester was anancient borough with urban forms of local government fromSaxon times.Burgesses were already established by the time of theDomesday survey of 1086. The earliest known borough charter dates from 1189, but that charter appears to confirm pre-existing borough rights rather than being the foundation of a new borough.[3] The borough was reformed in 1836 to become amunicipal borough.[4]
The current district was formed on 1 April 1974, under theLocal Government Act 1972, covering four former districts which were abolished at the same time:[5]
The new district was named Colchester after its largest settlement.[6] The new district was awardedborough status from its creation, allowing the chair of the council to take the title of mayor, continuing Colchester's series of mayors.[7]
As part of thePlatinum Jubilee of Elizabeth II celebrations in 2022, the borough of Colchester was grantedcity status, confirmed by Letters Patent dated 5 September 2022, allowing the council to change its name toColchester City Council.[8]
Colchester City Council | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Type | |
| Type | |
| Leadership | |
Pamela Donelly since 1 April 2022[10] | |
| Structure | |
| Seats | 51 |
 | |
Political groups | Administration (28)
Other parties (23)
|
| Elections | |
Last election | 2 May 2024 |
Next election | 7 May 2026 |
| Meeting place | |
 | |
| Town Hall, High Street, Colchester, CO1 1PJ | |
| Website | |
| www | |
Colchester City Council providesdistrict-level services.County-level services are provided byEssex County Council. Parts of the district are also covered bycivil parishes, which form a third tier of local government.[11]
The council has been underno overall control since 2008. ALiberal Democrat andLabour coalition formed in May 2025, with Liberal Democrat councillor David King serving asleader of the council and Labour councillor Julie Young serving as deputy leader.[12] Between the2023 election and the new coalition forming in 2025, the council had been run by a Liberal Democrat minority administration with informal support from the Labour Party and the Green Party on a case-by-case basis.[13]
The first election to the borough council, following the reforms of the Local Government Act 1972, 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:[14][15][16]
| Party in control | Years | |
|---|---|---|
| No overall control | 1974–1976 | |
| Conservative | 1976–1986 | |
| No overall control | 1986–1994 | |
| Liberal Democrats | 1994–1998 | |
| No overall control | 1998–2007 | |
| Conservative | 2007–2008 | |
| No overall control | 2008–present | |
The role of mayor is largely ceremonial in Colchester. Political leadership is instead provided by theleader of the council. The leaders since 2000 have been:
| Councillor | Party | From | To | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bill Frame[17] | Liberal Democrats | 2000 | 2002 | |
| Colin Sykes[18][19] | Liberal Democrats | 2002 | 2004 | |
| John Jowers[20] | Conservative | 2004 | 2006 | |
| Robert Davidson[21] | Conservative | 2006 | 2008 | |
| Anne Turrell[22][23] | Liberal Democrats | 2008 | Jun 2014 | |
| Martin Hunt[24][25] | Liberal Democrats | 16 June 2014 | May 2015 | |
| Paul Smith[26][27] | Liberal Democrats | 27 May 2015 | May 2018 | |
| Mark Cory[28][29] | Liberal Democrats | 23 May 2018 | May 2021 | |
| Paul Dundas[30][31] | Conservative | 26 May 2021 | May 2022 | |
| David King[32] | Liberal Democrats | 22 May 2022 | ||
Following the 2024 council elections and a subsequent change of allegiance later in May 2024,[33] the composition of the council was:
| Party | Councillors | |
|---|---|---|
| Conservative | 19 | |
| Labour | 14 | |
| Liberal Democrats | 14 | |
| Green | 3 | |
| Independent | 1 | |
| Total | 51 | |
The next election is due7 May 2026.[34]
The council meets atColchester Town Hall on the High Street. The current building was completed in 1902 on a site which had been occupied by Colchester's main civic buildings since 1277.[35]
Most of the council's administrative offices are at a modern office building called Rowan House at 33 Sheepen Road, north-west of the city centre.[36]
Since the last boundary changes in 2016 the council has comprised 51councillors representing 17wards, with each ward electing three councillors. Elections are held three years out of every four, choosing one councillor for each ward at a time to serve a four year term. In the fourth year of the cycle when there are no elections to the city council, elections for Essex County Council are held instead.[37]
In 2008, Colchester had a population of approximately 181,000.[38] Average life expectancy was 78.7 for males and 83.3 for females.[39] By the time of the2021 census, the population had risen to 192,700.[40]
At the previous census, in 2011, 92% of the population wasWhite (87.5%British, 0.7%Irish and 3.8%Other White),Asians were the second largest group making up 3.6% (0.8%Indian, 0.2%Pakistani, 0.2%Bangladeshi and 1%Chinese, other 1.4%),Black people constituted 1.4% (0.3%Caribbean, 1% African, 0.1% other), those of mixed race made up 1.8%, 0.6% wereArab and there were 0.4% from other ethnic groups.[41] 57.7% identified themselves asChristian, while 31.4% had no affiliation to a religion. Of other religions, 1.6% identified asMuslim, 0.7%Hindu, 0.6%Buddhist, 0.2%Jewish, 0.1%Sikh, 0.5% others and 7.3% did not answer.[42]
There are 35civil parishes in the district; the former Colchester Municipal Borough is anunparished area (subject to some adjustments since 1974 to that area's boundaries with neighbouring parishes).[43] The parish councils of Wivenhoe and West Mersea take the style "town council". Some of the smaller parishes are grouped together to share a parish council: Abberton and Langenhoe Parish Council covers those two parishes, and the Winstred Hundred Parish Council covers the four parishes of Great and Little Wigborough, Peldon, Salcott, and Virley. The two parishes of Layer Breton and Layer Marney haveparish meetings rather than parish councils due to their small populations.[44]
The Late QUEEN was pleased by Letters Patent under the Great Seal of the Realm dated 5 September 2022 to ordain that the Borough of Colchester shall have the status of a City.
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51°53′19″N0°54′13″E / 51.88861°N 0.90361°E /51.88861; 0.90361
