Photo: David Kemp · CC BY-SA 2.0No party holds a majority on Rochford District Council
Rochford is run by Rochford District Council and Essex County Council, with Rochford parish council for local matters. No party holds a majority on Rochford District Council. The Conservatives have a majority on Essex County Council. Most of Rochford is in Southend East and Rochford (MP Mr Bayo Alaba, Independent); 23% of residents are in Rayleigh and Wickford (MP Mr Mark Francois, Conservative).
£2,367
Band D, a year, the middle band every council sets its tax from.
Where it goes →How Rochford’s politics has changed since 2021
No majority on Rochford District Council
Reform UK, the largest group, holds 13 of its 39 seats as elected, 7 short of the 20 needed (it held 0 before the May 2026 election). The Conservatives hold 9, the Liberal Democrats 7, independents 6 and Rochford District Residents 4. 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 Rochford’s wards, Reform UK took 43.9%, the Conservatives took 23.4% and the Greens took 12.8% of votes in May 2026. In 2024, Reform UK had 0%. How Rochford has voted ↓
Council tax
A Band D bill in Rochford is £2,378 for 2026–27; Rochford District Council keeps 11% of it. The council area’s Band D has risen 47% in ten years, against England’s 56%. Council money ↓
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 Rochford’s councils
Seats by party as elected. A party needs 20 of Rochford’s 39 or 38 of Essex’s 75 seats to run the council alone.
- Reform UK13+13
- Conservative9−4
- Liberal Democrat7−4
- Independent6+1
- Rochford District Residents4−5
- Green0−1
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, and a parish tier
Rochford has two tiers of council: the county runs the big services, the district the local ones.
Local matters: allotments, play areas, halls, footpaths and benches; it is consulted on planning and adds a precept to the council tax bill. A town council is a parish council by another name.
77% of Rochford’s residents · Band D precept £96
The parish council for the part of Rochford inside Hawkwell parish.
Who runs Rochford: same source as Who runs Rochford, above.
Bins and recycling, planning, housing, environmental health, leisure, and collecting council tax.
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.
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 parish to Westminster
Every elected tier that speaks for Rochford, from the most recent elections.
- 1Town or parish2 parish councilsRochford parish councilHawkwell parish council
- 2Rochford District Council4 wards · 12 councillorsReform UK 5 · Conservative 4 · Rochford District Residents 2 · Independent 1 · all 12
- 3Essex County Council2 divisions · 2 councillorsMike SteptoeLaureen Shaw
- 4Police and crime commissionerEssex Police · elected May 2024Roger Charles Hirst
- 5House of CommonsSplit between 2 constituencies
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.
12 councillors for 4 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.
- Tino CallaghanReform UK · May 2026
- Angelina Donna MarriottConservative · May 2024
- Arthur WilliamsConservative · May 2023
- Neil HookwayReform UK · May 2026
- Phil ShawConservative · May 2024
- Simon Ernest WoottonConservative · May 2023
- Katherine Elizabeth ReidReform UK · May 2026
- Robert ReidReform UK · May 2026
- Mike WebbIndependent · May 2024
- Stephen William James MaceReform UK · May 2026
- Ian Clive WilsonRochford District Residents · May 2024
- Nick BoothRochford District Residents · May 2023
Show as a table, with Essex County Council’s 2 divisions (2 councillors)
| Ward | Seats | Elected | When |
|---|---|---|---|
| Roche Southmostly in Rochford · 5,653 residents3 seats · May 2026, May 2024, May 2023 | 3 | Tino CallaghanAngelina Donna MarriottArthur Williams | May 2026, May 2024, May 2023 |
| Roche North and Ruralmostly in Rochford · 4,111 residents3 seats · May 2026, May 2024, May 2023 | 3 | Neil HookwayPhil ShawSimon Ernest Wootton | May 2026, May 2024, May 2023 |
| Hawkwell East42% in Rochford · 2,481 residents3 seats · May 2026, May 2024 | 3 | Katherine Elizabeth ReidRobert ReidMike Webb | May 2026, May 2024 |
| Hawkwell West6% in Rochford · 372 residents3 seats · May 2026, May 2024, May 2023 | 3 | Stephen William James MaceIan Clive WilsonNick Booth | May 2026, May 2024, May 2023 |
Essex County Council: county divisions
| Division | Seats | Elected | When |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rochford South ED48% in Rochford · 9,764 residents1 seat · May 2021 | 1 | Mike Steptoe | May 2021 |
| Rochford North ED23% in Rochford · 2,853 residents1 seat · May 2021 | 1 | Laureen Shaw | May 2021 |
Councillors can resign, change party or sit as independents between elections; a by-election winner replaces someone not named here. Rochford District 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).
The Conservatives led each vote to 2024; Reform UK led in 2026
Share of all votes cast for candidates in Rochford’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 | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 | 2026 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Green | 0% | 0% | 13.8% | 6.6% | 12.8% |
| Labour | 12.4% | 18.9% | 19.6% | 24% | 6% |
| Liberal Democrat | 2.8% | 8% | 8.7% | 3.5% | 6.9% |
| Independent | 7.6% | 0% | 0% | 13.4% | 2.5% |
| Conservative | 45% | 44.4% | 32% | 30.3% | 23.4% |
| Reform UK | 0% | 0% | 0% | 0% | 43.9% |
| Rochford District Residents | 32.2% | 28.7% | 25% | 21.4% | 4.2% |
In 2026, Reform UK won 5 of the 5 seats up in Rochford’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.
Rochford council election, May 2026
Results in the wards that make up Rochford, as declared. Percentages are of votes cast for candidates in each ward; where a ward elects several councillors, each voter has that many votes.
4 wards voted. Rochford elects a third of its councillors at a time, so a third of the seats were up.
No election is scheduled yet for Rochford’s wards in Democracy Club’s list. Councils publish a notice of election about five weeks before polling day.
Who can I vote for? ↗2,019 votes for candidates
2,193 votes for candidates
4,224 votes for candidates · 2 seats, so 2 votes each
Every ward’s result (1 more)
2,393 votes for candidates
Candidates and results: Democracy Club (CC BY 4.0), from councils’ declared results; polling dates from Democracy Club’s EveryElection.
Rochford is split between 2 constituencies
The constituencies’ MP and the 4 July 2024 general election, the whole constituency’s result.
Independent, MP since 4 July 2024
77% of Rochford’s residents live in this constituency.
Turnout 56% (England 60%).
Majority 4,027 of 39,656 votes (10.2%): the 190th-narrowest of 543 in England.
Conservative, MP since 7 June 2001
23% of Rochford’s residents live in this constituency.
Turnout 63% (England 60%).
Majority 5,621 of 47,978 votes (11.7%): the 226th-narrowest of 543 in England.
39,656 votes for candidates · majority 4,027
Independent, MP since 4 July 2024.
turnout in July 2024: 39,656 votes from 70,217 registered voters. England: 60%.
Majority 4,027 of 39,656 votes (10.2%): the 190th-narrowest of 543 in England.
Rayleigh and Wickford
47,978 votes for candidates · majority 5,621
Conservative, MP since 7 June 2001.
turnout in July 2024: 47,978 votes from 76,576 registered voters. England: 60%.
Majority 5,621 of 47,978 votes (11.7%): the 226th-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.
Rochford’s Band D council tax is £2,378 a year
Where a Band D bill goes, what it has cost over the years, and what the councils plan to spend per resident.
Rochford District Council keeps £272.88 of a Band D bill (11%); the rest goes to the Rochford parish council, Essex County Council, the Essex Police and the Essex PCC-Fire.
Across the whole town the average Band D is £2,367 (parishes differ; weighted by residents).
Band D since 1993
Rochford’s Band D bill has risen 47% in ten years, from £1,604.00 in 2016–17, against England’s average (56%). It was £506.25 in 1993–94.
Your bill by band
A Band D home in Rochford, 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
| Rochford + Essex | Rochford’s councils | Essex | England |
|---|---|---|---|
| Adult social care | £487 | £473 | £487 |
| Children’s social care | £187 | £217 | £290 |
| Roads and transport | £60 | £51 | £41 |
| Housing (not council homes’ rents) | £31 | £45 | £61 |
| Bins, street cleaning, environment | £121 | £127 | £119 |
| Libraries, leisure, culture | £39 | £47 | £44 |
| Planning and development | £37 | £19 | £26 |
| Public health | £62 | £67 | £78 |
| Running the council | £66 | £69 | £59 |
| Other | £4 | £4 | £19 |
| Total, schools apart | £1,094 | £1,118 | £1,234 |
Net budgeted service spending, MHCLG Revenue Account budget 2026–27, per resident (ONS mid-2025 estimates). Both tiers added: Rochford per its residents plus Essex per the county’s. 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 Rochford 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.
rochford.gov.uk ↗Anyone can comment while an application is open for consultation.
rochford.gov.uk ↗The rules, nomination papers and guidance for council candidates.
Electoral Commission ↗Questions about how Rochford is run
Which council runs Rochford?
Rochford is run by Rochford District Council and Essex County Council. The county council runs schools, social care and roads; the district runs bins, planning and housing.
Does Rochford have a town council?
Yes: Rochford has its own parish-tier council (Rochford parish council; town councils are parish councils by another name), which adds £96 to a Band D bill in 2026–27.
Who is the MP for Rochford?
Rochford is split between 2 constituencies: Southend East and Rochford (Mr Bayo Alaba, Independent) and Rayleigh and Wickford (Mr Mark Francois, Conservative). Parliament’s Find your MP service matches a postcode to its MP.
How many councillors does Rochford have?
12 ward councillors represent Rochford’s 4 wards, and 2 county councillors its county divisions.
When are the next elections in Rochford?
No election is scheduled yet in Democracy Club’s list for Rochford’s wards. The next UK general election must be held by August 2029.
How much is council tax in Rochford?
Band D council tax in Rochford is £2,367 for 2026–27. Your bill depends on your home’s band, from A (6/9 of Band D) to H (18/9).
Who controls Rochford District Council?
No party has a majority. As elected, Reform UK 13 · Conservative 9 · Liberal Democrat 7 · Independent 6 · Rochford District Residents 4 of 39 seats; a majority needs 20. The council’s website lists who leads it now.
Who controls Essex County Council?
The Conservatives have a majority: 52 of 75 seats as elected.
Who won the 2026 council election in Rochford?
In Rochford’s wards on 7 May 2026, Reform UK 5 of the 5 seats up. Reform UK had the largest share of votes, 43.9%.
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.