Borough of Basildon

The Borough of Basildon is a local government district with borough status in Essex, England. It is named after its largest town, Basildon, where the council is based. The borough also includes the towns of Billericay and Wickford, and surrounding rural areas.

The borough borders the City of Chelmsford to the north, the Borough of Brentwood to the west, the Thurrock unitary authority area to the south, the Borough of Castle Point to the south-east, and Rochford District to the north-east.

Billericay Urban District was created in 1934. In 1955, it was renamed Basildon Urban District to reflect the growth of Basildon, which had been designated a new town in 1949.

Urban districts were abolished on 1 April 1974, under the Local Government Act 1972. On this date, a new non-metropolitan district called Basildon was created, covering the whole area of the former Basildon Urban District plus the small part of the neighbouring Thurrock Urban District which fell within the designated area for Basildon New Town.

In the 1990s, Basildon applied to become a unitary authority but this was declined. The government asserted that the divergent interests of the three main towns meant any change to the status quo should involve splitting the borough; with Billericay and Wickford joining the districts of Brentwood and Rochford respectively.

The district was awarded borough status in 2010, allowing the chair of the council to take the title of Mayor, with Mo Larkin being appointed the first.

Basildon Borough Council provides district-level services, while County-level services are provided by Essex County Council. Parts of the borough are also covered by civil parishes, which form a third tier of local government.

The council has been under no overall control since the 2024 election, with Labour the largest party. An administration of Labour and the independent councillors subsequently formed to run the council.