The 2026 Essex County Council election took place on 7 May 2026 to elect members to Essex County Council in Essex, England. This took place on the same day as other local elections. Reform UK gained majority control of the county council from the Conservatives.

Background At the 2021 election, the Conservatives won an outright majority of seats on the council, maintaining overall control of the authority for a 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.

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. 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. It was announced on 22 January 2026 that the election would go ahead on 7 May 2026 following a legal challenge by Reform UK.

Summary

Election result

Results by local authority and ward

Basildon

Incumbents

Ward Incumbent councillorParty Re-standing Basildon Laindon Park & Fryerns Jeff Henry No Basildon Laindon Park & Fryerns Patricia Reid Yes Basildon Pitsea Aiden McGurran No Basildon Pitsea Emma Callaghan No Basildon Westley Heights Kerry Smith Yes Billericay & Burstead Anthony Hedley No Billericay & Burstead Richard Moore No Wickford Crouch Tony Ball Yes Wickford Crouch Malcolm Buckley No

Authority summary

+Basildon borough summaryPartySeats+/-Votes%+/- 6 6 23,256 40.4 +38.2 2 3 15,067 26.2 –26.4 1 2,836 4.9 –2.6 0 3 8,612 15.0 –8.9 0 4,850 8.4 N/A 0 2,678 4.7 –5.5 0 280 0.5 +0.4Total957,57939.7+9.8Registered electors130,687––6.6

Division results

Braintree

Incumbents

Division Incumbent councillorParty Re-standing Bocking Lynette Bowers-Flint Yes Braintree Eastern Paul Thorogood Yes Braintree Town Tom Cunningham Yes Halstead Chris Siddall Yes Hedingham Peter Schwier Yes Three Fields with Great Notley Graham Butland No Witham Northern Ross Playle Yes Witham Southern Vacant N/A

Authority summary

+Braintree district summaryPartySeats+/-Votes%+/-Reform 6 6 20,372 38.6 N/AConservative 1 6 13,755 26.1 –25.0Green 1 8,211 15.6 –11.7Labour 0 4,590 8.7 –7.5Independent 0 3,539 6.7 +6.3Liberal Democrats 0 2,285 4.3 –0.6Total852,75243.6+12.0Registered electors121,326–+6.6

Division results

Brentwood

Authority summary

+Brentwood borough summaryPartySeats+/-Votes%+/- 4 4 11,381 38.7 +37.6 0 3 7,626 26.0 –24.2 0 1 6,705 22.8 –5.8 0 2,027 6.9 +0.4 0 1,646 5.6 –5.5Total429,47448.8+12.6Registered electors60,420–+1.2

Division results

Castle Point

Authority summary

+Castle Point borough summaryPartySeats+/-Votes%+/- 4 4 13,110 44.0 +43.4 1 1 5,566 18.7 N/A 0 3 5,664 19.0 –25.2 0 2 2,073 7.0 –10.7 0 1,745 5.9 N/A 0 1,198 4.0 –9.0 0 464 1.6 –1.2Total529,84842.8+9.4Registered electors69,735–±0.0

Division results

Chelmsford

Authority summary

+Chelmsford city summaryPartySeats+/-Votes%+/- 4 4 20,045 33.6 N/A 4 18,112 30.3 +1.3 1 4 13,195 22.1 –26.1 0 4,628 7.7 +0.6 0 2,065 3.5 –6.2 0 1,311 2.2 N/A 0 383 0.6 N/ATotal959,86444.1+10.8Registered electors135,797–+1.6

Division results

The Chelmsford Springfield poll was postponed because Liberal Democrat candidate Mike Mackrory died before polling day.

Colchester

Authority summary

+Colchester city summaryPartySeats+/-Votes%+/- 4 4 16,985 29.1 +28.2 2 3 13,016 22.3 –21.9 2 10,421 17.9 –2.7 1 1 8,588 14.7 –9.4 0 8,120 13.9 +4.0 0 1,211 2.1 N/ATotal958,47441.3+7.6Registered electors141,747–+0.4

Incumbent

Ward Incumbent councillorParty Re-standing Abbey Lee Scordis Yes Constable Lewis Barber No Drury Sue Lissimore Yes Maypole Dave Harris Yes Mersea & Tiptree John Jowers No Mile End & Highwoods David King Yes Parsons Heath & East Gates Simon Crow Yes Stanway & Pyefleet Kevin Bentley Yes Wivenhoe St Andrew Mark Cory Yes

Division results

Epping Forest

Authority summary

+Epping Forest district summaryPartySeats+/-Votes%+/- 6 5 18,649 40.9 +40.6 1 4 11,622 25.5 –25.2 0 4,575 10.0 –1.8 0 1 4,064 8.9 –5.3 0 3,035 6.7 –6.3 0 2,634 5.8 –2.0 0 958 2.1 N/A 0 89 0.2 –0.4 0 11 <0.1 –0.2Total744,55844.5+11.8Registered electors100,065––0.9

Division results

Harlow

Authority summary

+Harlow district summaryPartySeats+/-Votes%+/- 5 1 13,969 52.1 –2.3 0 5,990 22.3 N/A 0 3,703 13.8 –21.4 0 2,596 9.7 N/A 0 504 1.9 –2.8 0 48 0.2 N/ATotal5 126,92240.4+8.2Registered electors66,593–+4.5

Division results

Maldon

Authority summary

+Maldon district summaryPartySeats+/-Votes%+/- 3 3 9,650 39.2 N/A 1 3,820 15.5 –11.8 0 2 5,861 23.8 –23.4 0 2,631 10.7 +1.4 0 1,889 7.7 +0.6 0 785 3.2 –4.7Total4 124,69246.1+11.1Registered electors53,567–+4.6

Division results

Rochford

Incumbents

Ward Incumbent councillorParty Re-standing Rayleigh North James Newport Yes Rayleigh South June Lumley No Rochford North Laureen Shaw Yes Rochford South Mike Steptoe Yes Rochford West Michael Hoy Yes

Authority summary

+Rochford district summaryPartySeats+/-Votes%+/- 5 5 13,002 40.7 N/A 0 3 7,364 23.0 –22.9 0 2 5,171 16.2 –3.5 0 2,631 8.2 –11.2 0 1,922 6.0 N/A 0 1,657 5.2 –7.0 0 221 0.7 –2.1Total531,96846.5+12.4Registered electors69,074–+2.5

Division results

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Tendring

Authority summary

+Tendring district summaryPartySeats+/-Votes%+/- 8 8 24,709 47.0 +46.4 0 6 9,186 17.5 –33.2 0 1 6,023 11.5 –0.1 0 1 4,570 8.7 –8.1 0 4,005 7.6 +3.7 0 3,904 7.4 –1.5 0 164 0.3 N/ATotal852,65943.2+11.4Registered electors121,906–+5.2

Division results

Uttlesford

Authority summary

+Uttlesford district summaryPartySeats+/-Votes%+/- 3 3 10,661 31.0 N/A 1 1 9,673 28.1 –11.4 1 1 6,271 18.2 –18.3 0 3,251 9.5 +2.6 0 2,837 8.2 –2.5 0 1,704 5.0 –1.5Total5 135,22848.3+9.6Registered electors72,997–+6.0

Division results

Changes 2026–2027

By-elections

Rayleigh West

The Rayleigh West by-election was triggered by Stuart Prior's resignation shortly after the 7 May election, following criticism of offensive social-media posts; the same resignation also triggered a by-election in the Sweyne Park and Grange ward of Rochford District Council.

References