Rochford District | |
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 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 |
Rochford is alocal government district inEssex, England. It is named after one of its main settlements,Rochford, where the council is based. The largest town in the district isRayleigh. Other places in the district includeHockley,Ashingdon,Great Wakering,Canewdon andHullbridge.
The district bordersMaldon District to the north, theCity of Chelmsford to the north-west, theBorough of Basildon to the west, the Borough ofCastle Point to the south-west, and the City ofSouthend-on-Sea to the south. To the east, it has a stretch of coast atFoulness Island.
Most of the built-up areas are in the western part of the district, along the railway line fromShenfield toSouthend 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.
The district was formed on 1 April 1974 under theLocal Government Act 1972, covering the whole area of two former districts, which were abolished at the same time:[2][3]
Rochford District Council | |
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 | |
| Type | |
| Type | |
| Leadership | |
Jonathan Stephenson since 1 August 2021[5] | |
| Structure | |
| Seats | 39 councillors |
 | |
Political groups |
|
| Elections | |
Last election | 2 May 2024 |
Next election | 7 May 2026 |
| Meeting place | |
 | |
| Civic Suite, 2 Hockley Road,Rayleigh, SS6 8EB | |
| Website | |
| www | |
Rochford District Council providesdistrict-level services.County-level services are provided byEssex County Council. The district is also entirely covered bycivil parishes, which form a third tier of local government.[6]
The council has been underno overall control since 2023.[7] A coalition of theConservatives,Rochford District Residents and the Rochford and Foulness Wakering Independents group formed in May 2025 to run the council, with Conservative councillor Danielle Belton serving asleader of the council.[8] Between the2024 election and the new coalition forming in 2025, the council had been run by a coalition of theLiberal Democrats,Green Party andindependents.[9]
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:[10]
| 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 | |
Theleaders of the council since 2004 have been:
| Councillor | Party | From | To | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Terry Cutmore[11] | Conservative | 2004 | May 2019 | |
| Mike Steptoe[12] | Conservative | May 2019 | 9 Jul 2020 | |
| Simon Wootton[13][14] | Conservative | 9 Jul 2020 | May 2023 | |
| John Mason[15] | Rochford District Residents | 23 May 2023 | May 2024 | |
| James Newport[9][16] | Liberal Democrats | 21 May 2024 | May 2025 | |
| Danielle Belton[8] | Conservative | 20 May 2025 | ||
Following the2024 election,[17] and subsequent changes of allegiance up to May 2025, the composition of the council was:
| Party | Councillors | |
|---|---|---|
| Independent | 12 | |
| Conservative | 10 | |
| Liberal Democrats | 8 | |
| Rochford District Residents | 8 | |
| Green | 1 | |
| Total | 39 | |
Three of the independent councillors sit together as the Rochford and Foulness Wakering Independents group, which forms the council's administration with the Conservatives and local party the Rochford District Residents.[8] The Green councillor and five of the independents form the Non-Aligned group. The other four independents form the Associated Independents group.[18] The next election is due in May 2026.[19]
Since the last boundary changes in 2016 the council has comprised 39councillors representing 13wards, 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.[20]
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.[21]
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.[22][23][24]
The district is divided into 14civil parishes. The parish council for Rayleigh takes the style "town council".[25][26]
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51°34′54″N0°42′30″E / 51.5817°N 0.7082°E /51.5817; 0.7082
