2026 Essex County Council election
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7 May 2026
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All 78 seats to Essex County Council 40 seats needed for a majority | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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.svg.png){kind=spacer} Map showing the new pattern of electoral divisions for the Essex County Council area. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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The 2026 Essex County Council election will take place on 7 May 2026 to elect members to Essex County Council in Essex, England. This will be on the same day as other local elections.
Background
At the 2021 election, the Conservatives won an outright majority of seats on the council, maintaining overall control of the authority for seventh consecutive term. Kevin Bentley (Stanway & Pyefleet), Leader of the Conservative group, was appointed Leader of the council and formed a Conservative administration.
Boundary changes
Following a local government boundary review, there will be an increase in the number of councillors from 75 to 78, and a new pattern of electoral division boundaries will be used. As part of the changes, all two-member divisions will be abolished, meaning all divisions will now elect only one councillor each.[1]
Delay
The general election of councillors was due to take place on 1 May 2025. However, following the publication of the English Devolution White Paper, the majority of the members of Essex County Council voted in favour of asking the government to cancel the planned 2025 elections. The Conservative and Labour groups, in addition to the sole Loughton Residents Association councillor, voted in favour of the motion of the Conservative administration to request both that Essex County Council take part in the local government reorganisation and that the elections be delayed. The Liberal Democrat, Canvey Island Independent Party, and Residents for Uttlesford groups voted against the motion, as did the sole councillors for Reform UK and for the Rochford District Residents.[2][3] The Liberal Democrat group put an amendment that would have removed the request for an election delay from the motion as a whole, but this was voted down by a show of hands without a roll call vote.
The May 2025 local elections that would have taken place were cancelled.[4] It was announced on 22 January 2026 that the election would go ahead on 7 May 2026.[5]
References
- ^ "New electoral arrangements for Essex County Council - Final Recommendations" (PDF). LGBCE. July 2024. Retrieved 7 September 2024.
- ^ "Essex calls to scrap elections and reform councils". Simon Dedman. BBC News. 10 January 2025. Retrieved 19 January 2025.
- ^ "Full council meeting - 10 January 2025". ECC Democracy. 10 January 2025. Retrieved 1 February 2025.
- ^ Walker, Peter; Quinn, Ben (5 February 2025). "Some councillors in England could stay for more than extra year under shake-up plans". The Guardian. Retrieved 1 November 2025.
- ^ McKiernan, Jennifer; Forsyth, Alex (22 January 2026). "Twenty-nine English councils to delay elections, minister confirms". BBC News. Retrieved 22 January 2026.
