Burr Hall · Photo: MadeInBasildon · CC BY-SA 4.0The Liberal Democrats hold a majority on Chelmsford City Council
Runwell is run by Chelmsford City Council, Basildon Borough Council and Essex County Council, with Runwell parish council for local matters. The Liberal Democrats have a majority on Chelmsford City Council. No party holds a majority on Basildon Borough Council. The Conservatives have a majority on Essex County Council. Most of Runwell is in Maldon (MP Sir John Whittingdale, Conservative); 48% of residents are in Rayleigh and Wickford (MP Mr Mark Francois, Conservative).
£2,327
Band D, a year, the middle band every council sets its tax from.
Where it goes →How Runwell’s politics has changed since 2021
A majority on Chelmsford City Council
The Liberal Democrats hold a majority on Chelmsford City Council: 32 of its 57 seats as elected. The Conservatives hold 22, independents 3. 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 Runwell’s wards, Reform UK took 45.3%, the Conservatives took 25.3% and Wickford Independents took 11.7% of votes in May 2026. In 2024, Reform UK had 6.4%. How Runwell has voted ↓
Council tax
A Band D bill in Runwell is £2,315 for 2026–27; Chelmsford City Council keeps 10% 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 Runwell’s councils
Seats by party as elected. A party needs 29 of Chelmsford’s 57 or 22 of Basildon’s 42 or 38 of Essex’s 75 seats to run the council alone.
- Liberal Democrat32
- Conservative22
- Independent3
Latest election: May 2023.
- 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, and a parish tier
Runwell 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.
52% of Runwell’s residents · Band D precept £71
The parish council for the part of Runwell inside Wickford parish.
Who runs Runwell: same source as Who runs Runwell, above.
Bins and recycling, planning, housing, environmental health, leisure, and collecting council tax.
52% of Runwell’s residents
Website ↗Bins and recycling, planning, housing, environmental health, leisure, and collecting council tax.
Who runs Runwell: same source as Who runs Runwell, 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.
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 Runwell, from the most recent elections.
- 1Town or parish2 parish councilsRunwell parish councilWickford parish council
- 2Council wards2 wards · 5 councillorsPaul ClarkSteve DavisSteven Mark SwabyEunice Christine BrockmanDavid Martin AldridgeTrevor Terence Hammond
- 3Essex County Council2 divisions · 3 councillorsSue DobsonTony BallMalcolm Buckley
- 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.
5 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.
- Paul ClarkIndependent · May 2023
- Steve DavisIndependent · May 2023
- Steven Mark SwabyReform UK · May 2026
- Eunice Christine BrockmanWickford Independents · May 2024
- David Martin AldridgeWickford Independents · May 2024
- Trevor Terence HammondWickford Independents · May 2024
Show as a table, with Essex County Council’s 2 divisions (3 councillors)
| Ward | Seats | Elected | When |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rettendon and RunwellChelmsford · mostly in Runwell · 4,242 residents2 seats · May 2023 | 2 | Paul ClarkSteve Davis | May 2023 |
| Wickford NorthBasildon · 29% in Runwell · 3,844 residents3 seats · May 2026, May 2024 | 3 | Steven Mark SwabyEunice Christine BrockmanDavid Martin AldridgeTrevor Terence Hammond | May 2026, May 2024 |
Essex County Council: county divisions
| Division | Seats | Elected | When |
|---|---|---|---|
| Stock ED16% in Runwell · 4,242 residents1 seat · December 2024 | 1 | Sue Dobsonby-election | December 2024 |
| Wickford Crouch ED8% in Runwell · 3,844 residents2 seats · May 2021 | 2 | Tony BallMalcolm Buckley | May 2021 |
Councillors can resign, change party or sit as independents between elections; a by-election winner replaces someone not named here. Chelmsford City 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).
Who led each council vote, 2023–2026
Share of all votes cast for candidates in Runwell’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 | 2023 | 2024 | 2026 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Green | 0% | 4.8% | 7.7% |
| Labour | 4.9% | 7% | 5.4% |
| Independent | 53.3% | 0% | 0% |
| Conservative | 37.6% | 34% | 25.3% |
| Reform UK | 0% | 6.4% | 45.3% |
| Wickford Independents | 0% | 44.5% | 11.7% |
In 2026, Reform UK won 1 of the 1 seats up in Runwell’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.
Basildon council election, May 2026
Results in the wards that make up Runwell, as declared. Percentages are of votes cast for candidates in each ward; where a ward elects several councillors, each voter has that many votes.
1 ward voted. Not every seat in the town’s wards was up this time.
No election is scheduled yet for Runwell’s wards in Democracy Club’s list. Councils publish a notice of election about five weeks before polling day.
Who can I vote for? ↗4,646 votes for candidates
Candidates and results: Democracy Club (CC BY 4.0), from councils’ declared results; polling dates from Democracy Club’s EveryElection.
Runwell is split between 2 constituencies
The constituencies’ MP and the 4 July 2024 general election, the whole constituency’s result.
Conservative, MP since 9 April 1992
52% of Runwell’s residents live in this constituency.
Turnout 64% (England 60%).
Majority 6,906 of 49,841 votes (13.9%): the 270th-narrowest of 543 in England.
Conservative, MP since 7 June 2001
48% of Runwell’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.
49,841 votes for candidates · majority 6,906
Conservative, MP since 9 April 1992.
turnout in July 2024: 49,841 votes from 78,282 registered voters. England: 60%.
Majority 6,906 of 49,841 votes (13.9%): the 270th-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.
Runwell’s Band D council tax is £2,315 a year
Where a Band D bill goes, what it has cost over the years, and what the councils plan to spend per resident.
Chelmsford City Council keeps £234.85 of a Band D bill (10%); the rest goes to the Runwell parish council, Essex County Council, the Essex Police and the Essex PCC-Fire.
Across the whole town the average Band D is £2,327 (parishes differ; weighted by residents).
Band D since 1993
Chelmsford’s Band D bill has risen 47% in ten years, from £1,563.07 in 2016–17, against England’s average (56%). It was £538.88 in 1993–94.
Your bill by band
A Band D home in Runwell, 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
| Chelmsford + Essex | Runwell’s councils | Essex | England |
|---|---|---|---|
| Adult social care | £487 | £473 | £487 |
| Children’s social care | £187 | £217 | £290 |
| Roads and transport | £34 | £51 | £41 |
| Housing (not council homes’ rents) | £69 | £45 | £61 |
| Bins, street cleaning, environment | £112 | £127 | £119 |
| Libraries, leisure, culture | £59 | £47 | £44 |
| Planning and development | £25 | £19 | £26 |
| Public health | £62 | £67 | £78 |
| Running the council | £65 | £69 | £59 |
| Other | £0 | £4 | £19 |
| Total, schools apart | £1,098 | £1,118 | £1,234 |
Net budgeted service spending, MHCLG Revenue Account budget 2026–27, per resident (ONS mid-2025 estimates). Both tiers added: Chelmsford 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 Runwell 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.
chelmsford.gov.uk ↗Anyone can comment while an application is open for consultation.
chelmsford.gov.uk ↗The rules, nomination papers and guidance for council candidates.
Electoral Commission ↗Questions about how Runwell is run
Which council runs Runwell?
Runwell is run by Chelmsford City Council, Basildon Borough Council and Essex County Council. The county council runs schools, social care and roads; the district runs bins, planning and housing.
Does Runwell have a town council?
Yes: Runwell has its own parish-tier council (Runwell parish council; town councils are parish councils by another name), which adds £71 to a Band D bill in 2026–27.
Who is the MP for Runwell?
Runwell is split between 2 constituencies: Maldon (Sir John Whittingdale, Conservative) and Rayleigh and Wickford (Mr Mark Francois, Conservative). Parliament’s Find your MP service matches a postcode to its MP.
How many councillors does Runwell have?
5 ward councillors represent Runwell’s 2 wards, and 3 county councillors its county divisions.
When are the next elections in Runwell?
No election is scheduled yet in Democracy Club’s list for Runwell’s wards. The next UK general election must be held by August 2029.
How much is council tax in Runwell?
Band D council tax in Runwell is £2,327 for 2026–27. Your bill depends on your home’s band, from A (6/9 of Band D) to H (18/9).
Who controls Chelmsford City Council?
The Liberal Democrats have a majority: 32 of 57 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 Runwell?
In Runwell’s wards on 7 May 2026, Reform UK 1 of the 1 seats up. Reform UK had the largest share of votes, 45.3%.
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.