City of Chelmsford | |
|---|---|
 Chelmsford Cathedral inChelmsford, the administrative centre of the district | |
 Interactive map of City of Chelmsford | |
| Sovereign state | United Kingdom |
| Country | England |
| Region | East of England |
| Non-metropolitan county | Essex |
| Admin HQ | Chelmsford |
| Incorporated | 1 April 1974 |
| Government | |
| • Type | Non-metropolitan district council |
| • Body | Chelmsford City Council |
| • Leadership | Leader & Cabinet (Liberal Democrat) |
| • MPs | Marie Goldman Kemi Badenoch John Whittingdale |
| Area | |
• Total | 132.14 sq mi (342.24 km2) |
| • Rank | 107th(of 296) |
| Population (2024) | |
• Total | 188,803 |
| • Rank | 111th(of 296) |
| • Density | 1,428.8/sq mi (551.67/km2) |
| Ethnicity(2021) | |
| • Ethnic groups | |
| Religion(2021) | |
| • Religion | List
|
| Time zone | UTC0 (GMT) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC+1 (BST) |
| ONS code | 22UF (ONS) E07000070 (GSS) |
| OS grid reference | TL713070 |
| Click the map for an interactive fullscreen view | |
TheCity of Chelmsford (/ˈtʃɛlmzfərd/) is alocal government district withborough andcity status inEssex, England. It is named after its main settlement,Chelmsford, which is also thecounty town of Essex. As well as the settlement of Chelmsford itself, the district also includes the surrounding rural area and the town ofSouth Woodham Ferrers.
The neighbouring districts areUttlesford,Braintree,Maldon,Rochford,Basildon,Brentwood andEpping Forest.
Chelmsford's first elected council was alocal board of health established in 1850.[2] This replaced a body ofimprovement commissioners which had previously administered the town under theChelmsford Improvement Act 1789 (29 Geo. 3. c. 44).[3] The local board in turn was replaced by the Chelmsford Corporation in 1888 when the town was incorporated to become amunicipal borough.[4][5]
The current district was formed on 1 April 1974 under theLocal Government Act 1972, covering two former districts which were abolished at the same time:[6]
The new district was named Chelmsford after its main town.[7] The new council was initially called "Chelmsford District Council".Charter trustees were established for the area of the former municipal borough so as to allow the town to continue to have a mayor. The new district was grantedborough status in 1977, changing the name of the council to "Chelmsford Borough Council" and allowing the chair of the council to take the title of mayor instead, with the charter trustees then being disbanded.[8]
On 1 June 2012 the town was grantedcity status to mark theDiamond Jubilee of Elizabeth II, and the council therefore changed its name to "Chelmsford City Council".[9][10][11]
Chelmsford City Council | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Type | |
| Type | |
| Leadership | |
Nick Eveleigh since February 2018[13] | |
| Structure | |
| Seats | 57 councillors |
 | |
Political groups |
|
| Elections | |
Last election | 4 May 2023 |
Next election | 6 May 2027 |
| Meeting place | |
 | |
| Chelmsford Civic Centre, Duke Street, Chelmsford, CM1 1JE | |
| Website | |
| www | |
Chelmsford 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.[14]
The council has been controlled by theLiberal Democrats since the2019 election.[15]
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:[16][17]
| Party in control | Years | |
|---|---|---|
| No overall control | 1974–1976 | |
| Conservative | 1976–1983 | |
| Alliance | 1983–1988 | |
| Liberal Democrats | 1988–1991 | |
| Conservative | 1991–1995 | |
| Liberal Democrats | 1995–1999 | |
| No overall control | 1999–2003 | |
| Conservative | 2003–2019 | |
| Liberal Democrats | 2019–present | |
The role of mayor is largely ceremonial in Chelmsford. Political leadership is instead provided by theleader of the council. The leaders since 2003 have been:
| Councillor | Party | From | To | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Roy Whitehead[18] | Conservative | 2003 | May 2019 | |
| Stephen Robinson[19] | Liberal Democrats | 22 May 2019 | ||
Following the2023 election and subsequent changes of allegiance in November 2023, the composition of the council was:[20][21]
| Party | Councillors | |
|---|---|---|
| Liberal Democrats | 32 | |
| Conservative | 19 | |
| Independent | 5 | |
| Reform | 1 | |
| Total | 57 | |
Two of the independent politicians sit together as the "Chelmsford Independents Group".[22] The next election is due in 2027.[23]
The council is based atChelmsford Civic Centre on Duke Street in Chelmsford. The building was purpose-built for the former borough council and was opened in 1935.[24]
Since the last full review of boundaries in 2003 the council has comprised 57councillors elected from 24wards, with each ward electing one, two or three councillors. Elections are held every four years.[25]
The district has two major centres, the principal settlementChelmsford in the centre and the town ofSouth Woodham Ferrers to the south east. The remainder of the district is predominantly rural, with many villages and hamlets.
TheRiver Chelmer flows into the district near North End and flows to Chelmsford where theRiver Can converges with it at the city centre. The River Chelmer then flows out of the district between Boreham and Little Baddow. The River Can's source is in the north west of the district. The River Wid flows from the south of the borough throughWidford towards the centre past Writtle to join the River Can between Writtle and Chelmsford. TheRiver Crouch flows along the part of the southeastern border belowSouth Woodham Ferrers.Hanningfield Reservoir, aSite of Special Scientific Interest, is located in the south of the borough.
The rail links, both national and international, which run through the borough, are all operated byGreater Anglia. Two national rail services operate. TheGreat Eastern Main Line runs through the centre, stopping atChelmsford railway station. Services via Chelmsford operate betweenLondon Liverpool Street andIpswich,Clacton,Harwich,Braintree orNorwich. TheCrouch Valley Line also runs through the far south-east tip of the borough, stopping atSouth Woodham Ferrers, running services betweenWickford andSouthminster.
TheAmsterdam Express, a rail/sea/rail international service owned by also stops at Chelmsford, on its route between London and theNetherlands, viaNorth Sea ferries.
There are severalprimary routes within the borough. One of these, theA12, is also atrunk road and runs fromLondon and theM25, centrally in a north-easterly direction through the borough bypassing the city of Chelmsford onwards toSuffolk andNorfolk. Two other significant primary routes are theA130 which runs north-south acrossEssex and theA414, which begins as a primary route in Chelmsford but its terminus us Maldon in Essex. The A414 then runs west through Essex, meets theM11 and then its path continues intoHertfordshire viaHarlow. Various otherA- and B-Roads connect the borough, especially the city ofChelmsford to the rest of the county and beyond.
There is, additionally, a large integrated bus network provided primarily byFirst Essex which connects the city to towns and villages across the county. Other smaller operators also provide services, such as Stephensons of Essex and Arriva Essex.
There are 29civil parishes in the district. The former Chelmsford Municipal Borough is anunparished area, directly administered by Chelmsford City Council. The parish council for South Woodham Ferrers takes the style "Town Council", whilst the parish of Mashbury has aparish meeting rather than a parish council due to its small population.[26]
Educational establishments in the borough include:
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Henry VIII's formerPalace of Beaulieu is situated inBoreham, now occupied by theNew Hall School. Also located in the borough include theRHS Garden, Hyde Hall at Rettendon, and numerous open spaces in Chelmsford, including Admirals and Central Parks.Writtle, whereRobert the Bruce is said to have married his second wifeElizabeth de Burgh in 1302, has English Royal connections, with King John building a hunting lodge there in 1211. Much of the site now lies within the grounds ofWrittle College, the internationally famous centre for horticulture and agriculture. A few miles away is the village ofPleshey, where stand the ruins of a once important castle mentioned inWilliam Shakespeare's playRichard II. The entire circuit of the castle walls can still be traced in the village streets. American tourists often visit the village ofSpringfield, Essex, the origin of "Springfield" as a popular place name, first giving its name to the important City ofSpringfield, Massachusetts, and subsequentlySpringfield, Illinois, the state capital ofIllinois, andSpringfield, Missouri, among numerous others.
The following people and military units have received theFreedom of the City of Chelmsford.
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Towns, villages and hamlets of theCity of Chelmsford | ||
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| Towns |  | |
| Villages and hamlets |
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51°44′07″N0°28′45″E / 51.73528°N 0.47917°E /51.73528; 0.47917
