City of Colchester

The City of Colchester is a local government district with city status in Essex, England, named after its main settlement, Colchester. It is, with 200,222 people according to Office of National Statistics estimate for mid 2024, the most populous district in Essex and also includes the towns of West Mersea and Wivenhoe and the surrounding rural areas stretching from Dedham Vale on the Suffolk border in the north to Mersea Island in the Colne Estuary in the south.

The district borders Tendring District to the east, Maldon District to the south, Braintree District to the west, and Babergh District in Suffolk to the north.

Colchester was an ancient borough with urban forms of local government from Saxon times. Burgesses were already established by the time of the Domesday survey of 1086. The earliest known borough charter dates from 1189, but that charter appears to confirm pre-existing borough rights rather than being the foundation of a new borough. The borough was reformed in 1836 to become a municipal borough.

The current district was formed on 1 April 1974, under the Local Government Act 1972, covering four former districts which were abolished at the same time:

The new district was named Colchester after its largest settlement. The new district was awarded borough status from its creation, allowing the chair of the council to take the title of mayor, continuing Colchester's series of mayors.

As part of the Platinum Jubilee of Elizabeth II celebrations in 2022, the borough of Colchester was granted city status, confirmed by Letters Patent dated 5 September 2022, allowing the council to change its name to "Colchester City Council".

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

The council has been under no overall control since 2008. A Liberal Democrat and Labour coalition formed in May 2025, with Liberal Democrat councillor David King serving as leader of the council and Labour councillor Julie Young serving as deputy leader. Between the 2023 election and the new coalition forming in 2025, the council had been run by a Liberal Democrat minority administration with informal support from the Labour Party and the Green Party on a case-by-case basis.