34, London Road · Photo: RobertP4591 · CC BY-SA 4.0Basildon and Billericay was decided by 20 votes in 2024
Wickford is run by Basildon Borough Council and Essex County Council, with Wickford parish council for local matters. No party holds a majority on Basildon Borough Council. The Conservatives have a majority on Essex County Council. Most of Wickford is in Rayleigh and Wickford (MP Mr Mark Francois, Conservative); 2% of residents are in Basildon and Billericay (MP Mr Richard Holden, Conservative).
£2,341
Band D, a year, the middle band every council sets its tax from.
Where it goes →How Wickford’s politics has changed since 2021
No majority on Basildon Borough Council
Labour, the largest group, holds 12 of its 42 seats as elected, 10 short of the 22 needed (it held 17 before the May 2026 election). Reform UK holds 12, the Conservatives 11, independents 4 and Wickford 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 Wickford’s wards, Reform UK took 46.9%, the Conservatives took 26.7% and the Liberal Democrats took 8% of votes in May 2026. In 2024, Reform UK had 2.4%. How Wickford has voted ↓
A close seat
Mr Richard Holden (Conservative) won Basildon and Billericay by 20 votes in July 2024, 0.05% of votes cast: the 3rd-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 Wickford’s councils
Seats by party as elected. A party needs 22 of Basildon’s 42 or 38 of Essex’s 75 seats to run the council alone.
- 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
Wickford 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.
84% of Wickford’s residents · Band D precept £25
The parish council for the part of Wickford inside Shotgate parish.
Who runs Wickford: same source as Who runs Wickford, 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 Wickford, from the most recent elections.
- 1Town or parish2 parish councilsWickford parish councilShotgate parish council
- 2Basildon Borough Council3 wards · 9 councillorsWickford Independents 5 · Conservative 4 · Reform UK 4 · all 13
- 3Essex County Council1 division · 2 councillorsTony 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.
9 councillors for 3 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.
- John Alan PetersReform UK · May 2026
- Sarah-Jane ShieldsReform UK · June 2025 · by-election
- Alan Ronald BallWickford Independents · May 2024
- George Elliot JefferyConservative · May 2024
- David HarrisonWickford Independents · May 2024
- Steven Mark SwabyReform UK · May 2026
- Eunice Christine BrockmanWickford Independents · May 2024
- David Martin AldridgeWickford Independents · May 2024
- Trevor Terence HammondWickford Independents · May 2024
- Zoe Tamar HocktonReform UK · May 2026
- Alex MyersConservative · May 2024
- Terri Lilian Joan SargentConservative · May 2024
- Stuart Johns AllenConservative · May 2024
Show as a table, with Essex County Council’s 1 division (2 councillors)
| Ward | Seats | Elected | When |
|---|---|---|---|
| Wickford Parkall in Wickford · 11,281 residents3 seats · May 2026, June 2025, May 2024 | 3 | John Alan PetersSarah-Jane Shieldsby-electionAlan Ronald BallGeorge Elliot JefferyDavid Harrison | May 2026, June 2025, May 2024 |
| Wickford Northmostly in Wickford · 9,488 residents3 seats · May 2026, May 2024 | 3 | Steven Mark SwabyEunice Christine BrockmanDavid Martin AldridgeTrevor Terence Hammond | May 2026, May 2024 |
| Castledon & Crouchmostly in Wickford · 6,764 residents3 seats · May 2026, May 2024 | 3 | Zoe Tamar HocktonAlex MyersTerri Lilian Joan SargentStuart Johns Allen | May 2026, May 2024 |
Essex County Council: county divisions
| Division | Seats | Elected | When |
|---|---|---|---|
| Wickford Crouch EDmostly in Wickford · 27,533 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. Basildon Borough 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 Wickford’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 | 4% | 6.6% |
| Labour | 8.7% | 5.5% |
| Liberal Democrat | 14.9% | 8% |
| Conservative | 41.5% | 26.7% |
| Reform UK | 2.4% | 46.9% |
| Wickford Independents | 26% | 5.6% |
In 2026, Reform UK won 3 of the 3 seats up in Wickford’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 Wickford, as declared. Percentages are of votes cast for candidates in each ward; where a ward elects several councillors, each voter has that many votes.
3 wards voted. Basildon elects a third of its councillors at a time, so a third of the seats were up.
No election is scheduled yet for Wickford’s wards in Democracy Club’s list. Councils publish a notice of election about five weeks before polling day.
Who can I vote for? ↗3,682 votes for candidates
4,646 votes for candidates
4,612 votes for candidates
Candidates and results: Democracy Club (CC BY 4.0), from councils’ declared results; polling dates from Democracy Club’s EveryElection.
Wickford is split between 2 constituencies
The constituencies’ MP and the 4 July 2024 general election, the whole constituency’s result.
Conservative, MP since 7 June 2001
98% of Wickford’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.
Conservative, MP since 12 December 2019
2% of Wickford’s residents live in this constituency.
Turnout 55% (England 60%).
Majority 20 of 42,124 votes (0.05%): the 3rd-narrowest of 543 in England.
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.
Basildon and Billericay
42,124 votes for candidates · majority 20
Conservative, MP since 12 December 2019.
turnout in July 2024: 42,124 votes from 76,873 registered voters. England: 60%.
Majority 20 of 42,124 votes (0.05%): the 3rd-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.
Wickford’s Band D council tax is £2,339 a year
Where a Band D bill goes, what it has cost over the years, and what the councils plan to spend per resident.
Basildon Borough Council keeps £304.56 of a Band D bill (13%); the rest goes to the Wickford parish council, Essex County Council, the Essex Police and the Essex PCC-Fire.
Across the whole town the average Band D is £2,341 (parishes differ; weighted by residents).
Band D since 1993
Basildon’s Band D bill has risen 44% in ten years, from £1,614.23 in 2016–17, against England’s average (56%). It was £657.00 in 1993–94.
Your bill by band
A Band D home in Wickford, 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
| Basildon + Essex | Wickford’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) | £60 | £45 | £61 |
| Bins, street cleaning, environment | £130 | £127 | £119 |
| Libraries, leisure, culture | £52 | £47 | £44 |
| Planning and development | £24 | £19 | £26 |
| Public health | £62 | £67 | £78 |
| Running the council | £65 | £69 | £59 |
| Other | £0 | £4 | £19 |
| Total, schools apart | £1,127 | £1,118 | £1,234 |
Net budgeted service spending, MHCLG Revenue Account budget 2026–27, per resident (ONS mid-2025 estimates). Both tiers added: Basildon 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 Wickford 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.
basildon.gov.uk ↗Anyone can comment while an application is open for consultation.
basildon.gov.uk ↗The rules, nomination papers and guidance for council candidates.
Electoral Commission ↗Questions about how Wickford is run
Which council runs Wickford?
Wickford is run by Basildon Borough Council and Essex County Council. The county council runs schools, social care and roads; the district runs bins, planning and housing.
Does Wickford have a town council?
Yes: Wickford has its own parish-tier council (Wickford parish council; town councils are parish councils by another name), which adds £25 to a Band D bill in 2026–27.
Who is the MP for Wickford?
Wickford is split between 2 constituencies: Rayleigh and Wickford (Mr Mark Francois, Conservative) and Basildon and Billericay (Mr Richard Holden, Conservative). Parliament’s Find your MP service matches a postcode to its MP.
How many councillors does Wickford have?
9 ward councillors represent Wickford’s 3 wards, and 2 county councillors its county divisions.
When are the next elections in Wickford?
No election is scheduled yet in Democracy Club’s list for Wickford’s wards. The next UK general election must be held by August 2029.
How much is council tax in Wickford?
Band D council tax in Wickford is £2,341 for 2026–27. Your bill depends on your home’s band, from A (6/9 of Band D) to H (18/9).
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. 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 Wickford?
In Wickford’s wards on 7 May 2026, Reform UK 3 of the 3 seats up. Reform UK had the largest share of votes, 46.9%.
Is Basildon and Billericay a marginal seat?
Mr Richard Holden (Conservative) won it by 20 votes in July 2024, 0.05% of votes cast: the 3rd-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.