Photo: Robin Webster · CC BY-SA 2.0South Basildon and East Thurrock was decided by 98 votes in 2024
Fobbing is run by Thurrock Council, Basildon Borough Council and Essex County Council. Reform UK has a majority on Thurrock Council. No party holds a majority on Basildon Borough Council. The Conservatives have a majority on Essex County Council. Its MP is James McMurdock (Independent), member for South Basildon and East Thurrock.
£2,271
Band D, a year, the middle band every council sets its tax from.
Where it goes →How Fobbing’s politics has changed since 2021
A majority on Thurrock Council
Reform UK holds a majority on Thurrock Council: 43 of its 49 seats as elected. Labour holds 4, the Conservatives 2. Who’s in charge ↓
Essex in 2021
Essex County Council, which runs schools, social care and roads, has a Conservative majority at the May 2021 election: the Conservatives won 52 of 75 seats. Essex ↓
The 2026 vote
Across Fobbing’s wards, Reform UK took 59.7%, Labour took 17.1% and the Conservatives took 11.6% of votes in May 2026. In 2024, Reform UK had 0%. How Fobbing has voted ↓
A close seat
James McMurdock (Independent) won South Basildon and East Thurrock by 98 votes in July 2024, 0.25% of votes cast: the 8th-narrowest result of 543 in England. Parliament ↓
Written from the data on this page: Democracy Club results since May 2021, the UK Parliament Members API and MHCLG council tax.
Who holds the seats on Fobbing’s councils
Seats by party as elected. A party needs 25 of Thurrock’s 49 or 22 of Basildon’s 42 or 38 of Essex’s 75 seats to run the council alone.
- Reform UK43
- Labour4
- Conservative2
Latest election: May 2026.
- Labour12−5
- Reform UK12+10
- Conservative11−2
- Independent4−2
- Wickford Independents3−1
Change against the council before the 7 May 2026 election.
- Conservative52
- Liberal Democrat8
- Labour5
- Independent4
- Canvey Island Independent Party2
- Residents for Uttlesford2
- Green1
- Rochford District Residents1
Latest election: May 2021.
Seats are counted from election results: each ward’s most recent winners until its seats are filled. Councillors who have since changed party or resigned aren’t reflected, and which parties lead the council, and who is leader, comes from the council itself.
Results: Democracy Club (CC BY 4.0), elections since May 2021; seats per ward from its EveryElection.
Two tiers of council, no parish tier
Fobbing has two tiers of council: the county runs the big services, the district the local ones.
Every main council service: schools, social care, roads, bins, planning, housing and libraries.
73% of Fobbing’s residents
Website ↗Bins and recycling, planning, housing, environmental health, leisure, and collecting council tax.
Who runs Fobbing: same source as Who runs Fobbing, above.
Website ↗Schools, social care, roads and transport, libraries and waste disposal.
Website ↗Who to ask
From GOV.UK’s “Understand how your council works”: in two-tier areas the district or borough runs local services and the county the big ones.
All of Fobbing is unparished: there is no parish or town council, so the council runs local matters itself and no parish precept is added to the bill.
Councils from ONS lookups (wards and councils May 2026, parishes 2025), names and websites from GOV.UK’s local council finder; parish councils from MHCLG’s 2026–27 list of precepting parishes.
From the council to Westminster
Every elected tier that speaks for Fobbing, from the most recent elections.
- 1Council wards2 wards · 6 councillorsHolly Eleanor BennettIan CroomSara Lisa PoyntzWayne LowtherKerry James Daryl Luke SmithMo LarkinEddie Murphy
- 2Essex County Council1 division · 1 councillorKerry James Daryl Luke Smith
- 3Police and crime commissionerEssex Police · elected May 2024Roger Charles Hirst
- 4House of CommonsSouth Basildon and East Thurrock
Party colours are neutral on purpose: they tell parties apart and aren’t the parties’ own. Tap an MP’s name for their contact page on parliament.uk.
6 councillors for 2 wards
Wards with at least 2% of the town’s residents, or half their own inside it. Each shows who won its most recent elections, newest first, until its seats are filled.
- Holly Eleanor BennettReform UK · May 2026
- Ian CroomReform UK · May 2026
- Sara Lisa PoyntzReform UK · May 2026
- Wayne LowtherReform UK · May 2026
- Kerry James Daryl Luke SmithIndependent · May 2024
- Mo LarkinIndependent · May 2024
- Eddie MurphyIndependent · May 2024
Show as a table, with Essex County Council’s 1 division (1 councillor)
| Ward | Seats | Elected | When |
|---|---|---|---|
| Corringham & FobbingThurrock · 6% in Fobbing · 650 residents3 seats · May 2026 | 3 | Holly Eleanor BennettIan CroomSara Lisa Poyntz | May 2026 |
| NethermayneBasildon · 2% in Fobbing · 238 residents3 seats · May 2026, May 2024 | 3 | Wayne LowtherKerry James Daryl Luke SmithMo LarkinEddie Murphy | May 2026, May 2024 |
Essex County Council: county divisions
| Division | Seats | Elected | When |
|---|---|---|---|
| Basildon Westley Heights ED1% in Fobbing · 238 residents1 seat · May 2021 | 1 | Kerry James Daryl Luke Smith | May 2021 |
Councillors can resign, change party or sit as independents between elections; a by-election winner replaces someone not named here. Thurrock Council’s website lists who sits now.
Results from Democracy Club’s candidates database (CC BY 4.0; elections since May 2021) and ward seats from its EveryElection, matched to ONS wards (May 2026) and county divisions (May 2025).
Independents led each vote to 2024; Reform UK led in 2026
Share of all votes cast for candidates in Fobbing’s wards at each scheduled council election since 2021. A gap is a year with no election here.
Seats won at each election
Show as a table
| Party | 2024 | 2026 |
|---|---|---|
| Green | 0% | 5.4% |
| Labour | 10.4% | 17.1% |
| Independent | 71.6% | 5.8% |
| Conservative | 13.1% | 11.6% |
| Reform UK | 0% | 59.7% |
In 2026, Reform UK won 4 of the 4 seats up in Fobbing’s wards.
Results: Democracy Club (CC BY 4.0). Where a ward elects several councillors at once, each voter has that many votes; all of them count here.
Thurrock council election, May 2026
Results in the wards that make up Fobbing, as declared. Percentages are of votes cast for candidates in each ward; where a ward elects several councillors, each voter has that many votes.
2 wards voted. Not every seat in the town’s wards was up this time.
No election is scheduled yet for Fobbing’s wards in Democracy Club’s list. Councils publish a notice of election about five weeks before polling day.
Who can I vote for? ↗9,644 votes for candidates · 3 seats, so 3 votes each
3,307 votes for candidates
Candidates and results: Democracy Club (CC BY 4.0), from councils’ declared results; polling dates from Democracy Club’s EveryElection.
Fobbing is in South Basildon and East Thurrock constituency
The constituency’s MP and the 4 July 2024 general election, the whole constituency’s result (it reaches beyond Fobbing).
39,549 votes for candidates · majority 98
Independent, MP since 4 July 2024.
turnout in July 2024: 39,549 votes from 72,673 registered voters. England: 60%.
Majority 98 of 39,549 votes (0.25%): the 8th-narrowest of 543 in England.
MPs and results: UK Parliament Members API (Open Parliament Licence v3.0); constituencies from ONS (2024 boundaries). Percentages are of valid votes; turnout is votes cast over the electorate.
Fobbing’s Band D council tax is £2,255 a year
Where a Band D bill goes, what it has cost over the years, and what the councils plan to spend per resident.
Thurrock Council keeps £1,886.85 of a Band D bill (84%); the rest goes to the Essex Police and the Essex PCC-Fire.
Across the whole town the average Band D is £2,271 (parishes differ; weighted by residents).
Band D since 1993
Thurrock’s Band D bill has risen 62% in ten years, from £1,389.24 in 2016–17, against England’s average (56%). It was £549.00 in 1993–94.
Your bill by band
A Band D home in the unparished part of Thurrock, 2026–27, before discounts. The Valuation Office Agency’s band search gives any home’s band.
Essex’s councils
Average Band D in each council area, 2026–27, parish precepts included; the 11 nearest of 14. Bars start at £2,100.
Council budgets per resident, 2026–27
Show as a table, with Essex
| Thurrock | Fobbing’s councils | Essex | England |
|---|---|---|---|
| Adult social care | £405 | £473 | £487 |
| Children’s social care | £349 | £217 | £290 |
| Roads and transport | £51 | £51 | £41 |
| Housing (not council homes’ rents) | £90 | £45 | £61 |
| Bins, street cleaning, environment | £120 | £127 | £119 |
| Libraries, leisure, culture | £35 | £47 | £44 |
| Planning and development | £-4 | £19 | £26 |
| Public health | £101 | £67 | £78 |
| Running the council | £69 | £69 | £59 |
| Other | £0 | £4 | £19 |
| Total, schools apart | £1,216 | £1,118 | £1,234 |
Net budgeted service spending, MHCLG Revenue Account budget 2026–27, per resident (ONS mid-2025 estimates). Schools are left out: academies are paid for directly by government, so council school budgets depend on how many schools have converted. Essex and England: all their councils together. Police, fire and transport authorities aren’t included.
Band D: MHCLG Band D council tax 2026–27 (each authority’s own figure, excluding parish precepts) and Council Tax statistics for town and parish councils 2026–27; since 1993–94, MHCLG’s area averages including parishes.
Having a say in how Fobbing is run
It takes about five minutes online; the deadline is 12 working days before a poll.
gov.uk ↗Type a postcode to write to each of its councillors and its MP.
WriteToThem ↗GOV.UK sends the report to the council that looks after the road.
gov.uk ↗Council and committee meetings are open to the public, with agendas and minutes online.
thurrock.gov.uk ↗Anyone can comment while an application is open for consultation.
thurrock.gov.uk ↗The rules, nomination papers and guidance for council candidates.
Electoral Commission ↗Questions about how Fobbing is run
Which council runs Fobbing?
The county council runs schools, social care and roads; the district runs bins, planning and housing.
Does Fobbing have a town council?
No. Fobbing is unparished, so there is no town or parish council and no parish precept.
Who is the MP for Fobbing?
James McMurdock (Independent) is the MP for South Basildon and East Thurrock, which covers Fobbing.
How many councillors does Fobbing have?
6 ward councillors represent Fobbing’s 2 wards, and 1 county councillors its county divisions.
When are the next elections in Fobbing?
No election is scheduled yet in Democracy Club’s list for Fobbing’s wards. The next UK general election must be held by August 2029.
How much is council tax in Fobbing?
Band D council tax in Fobbing is £2,271 for 2026–27. Your bill depends on your home’s band, from A (6/9 of Band D) to H (18/9).
Who controls Thurrock Council?
Reform UK has a majority: 43 of 49 seats as elected. The council’s website lists who leads it now.
Who controls Basildon Borough Council?
No party has a majority. As elected, Labour 12 · Reform UK 12 · Conservative 11 · Independent 4 · Wickford Independents 3 of 42 seats; a majority needs 22.
Who won the 2026 council election in Fobbing?
In Fobbing’s wards on 7 May 2026, Reform UK 4 of the 4 seats up. Reform UK had the largest share of votes, 59.7%.
Is South Basildon and East Thurrock a marginal seat?
James McMurdock (Independent) won it by 98 votes in July 2024, 0.25% of votes cast: the 8th-narrowest result of 543 in England.
Sources: ONS ward, county division, parish, constituency lookups (Census 2021 output areas; Open Government Licence v3.0) · GOV.UK local council finder · Democracy Club candidates (CC BY 4.0) and EveryElection · UK Parliament Members API (Open Parliament Licence v3.0) · MHCLG Band D council tax, parish precepts and Revenue Account budgets 2026–27 (OGL v3.0) · ONS mid-2025 population estimates. Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Contains Parliamentary information licensed under the Open Parliament Licence v3.0.
Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Contains HM Land Registry data © Crown copyright and database right 2026. Contains OS data © Crown copyright and database right 2026 (ONS boundaries). Northern Ireland: Source: NISRA; contains Land & Property Services data and Ordnance Survey of Northern Ireland information, © Crown copyright, licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Scotland: contains National Records of Scotland data, Registers of Scotland data and SEPA data, © Crown copyright / © SEPA 2025, licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.