Borough of Brentwood

This article is about the borough in England. For the borough in the United States, see Brentwood, Pennsylvania.

The Borough of Brentwood is a local government district with borough status in Essex, England. The borough is named after its main town of Brentwood, where the council is based; it includes several villages and the surrounding rural area.

Borough of Brentwood
Non-metropolitan district, Borough
High Street in Brentwood, the largest town in the borough
Brentwood shown within Essex
Sovereign state	United Kingdom
Constituent country	England
Region	East of England
Non-metropolitan county	Essex
Status	Non-metropolitan district, Borough
Admin HQ	Brentwood
Incorporated	1 April 1974
Government
• Type	Non-metropolitan district council
• Body	Brentwood Borough Council
• Leadership	Alternative - Sec. 31 (Liberal Democrat (council NOC))
• MPs	Alex Burghart
Area
• Total	59.12 sq mi (153.12 km^2)
• Rank	165th (of 296)
Population  (2022)
• Total	77,332
• Rank	282nd (of 296)
• Density	1,300/sq mi (510/km^2)
Ethnicity (2021) ^[1]
• Ethnic groups	List 88.5% White 5.1% Asian 3.1% Mixed 2.3% Black 1.1% other
Religion (2021) ^[1]
• Religion	List 56% Christianity 33.3% no religion 5.6% not stated 1.8% Hinduism 1.6% Islam 0.5% Sikhism 0.4% Judaism 0.4% % Buddhism 0.3% other
Time zone	UTC0 (GMT)
• Summer (DST)	UTC+1 (BST)
ONS code	22UD (ONS) E07000068 (GSS)
OS grid reference	TQ595938

Brentwood Borough Council
Type
Type	Non-metropolitan district
Leadership
Mayor	Gareth Barrett, Labour since 17 May 2023^[2]
Leader	Barry Aspinell, Liberal Democrat since 17 May 2023
Chief Executive	Jonathan Stephenson since 2019^[3]
Structure
Seats	37^[4]
Political groups	Administration (19)   Liberal Democrats (17)   Labour (2) Opposition (18)   Conservatives (18)
Elections
Last election	4 May 2023
Next election	2024
Meeting place
Town Hall, Ingrave Road, Brentwood, CM15 8AY
Website
www.brentwood.gov.uk

Ingatestone, one of the settlements of the borough

The neighbouring districts are Epping Forest, Chelmsford, Basildon, Thurrock and the London Borough of Havering.

History

The former Brentwood Urban District had been created in 1899.^[5] Urban districts were abolished in 1974 under the Local Government Act 1972. A new non-metropolitan district was created on 1 April 1974 covering the whole of the former Brentwood Urban District plus parts of another two districts, which were all abolished at the same time:^[6]

• Brentwood Urban District
• Chelmsford Rural District (two parishes only, rest went to Chelmsford)
  • Ingatestone and Fryerning
  • Mountnessing
• Epping and Ongar Rural District (five parishes only, rest went to Epping Forest)
  • Blackmore
  • Doddinghurst
  • Kelvedon Hatch
  • Navestock
  • Stondon Massey

The new district was named Brentwood after its main town.^[7] The district was awarded borough status on 10 March 1993, allowing the chair of the council to take the title of mayor.^[8]

Governance

Brentwood Borough Council provides district-level services. 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.^[9]

Political control

The council went under no overall control at the 2023 Brentwood Borough Council election. A Liberal Democrat and Labour coalition subsequently formed an administration.^[10]

The first election to the council was held in 1973, initially operating as a shadow authority alongside the outgoing authorities until the new arrangements came into effect on 1 April 1974. Political control of the council since 1974 has been as follows:^[11][12][13]

Party in control		Years
	Conservative	1974–1990
	No overall control	1990–1991
	Liberal Democrats	1991–2003
	No overall control	2003–2004
	Conservative	2004–2014
	No overall control	2014–2015
	Conservative	2015–2023
	No overall control	2023–present

Leadership

The role of mayor is largely ceremonial in Brentwood. Political leadership is instead provided by the leader of the council. The leaders since 1991 have been:^[14]

Councillor	Party		From	To
Chris Dale		Liberal Democrats	1991	1996
David Gottesmann		Liberal Democrats	1996	5 May 2002
Vicky Cook		Liberal Democrats	22 May 2002	23 Jun 2004
Brandon Lewis		Conservative	23 Jun 2004	18 Mar 2009
Louise McKinlay		Conservative	13 May 2009	11 Jun 2014
Barry Aspinell		Liberal Democrats	11 Jun 2014	20 May 2015
Louise McKinlay		Conservative	20 May 2015	15 May 2019
Chris Hossack		Conservative	15 May 2019	7 May 2023
Barry Aspinell		Liberal Democrats	17 May 2023

Composition

Following the 2023 election, the composition of the council was:^[15]

Party		Councillors
	Conservative	18
	Liberal Democrats	17
	Labour	2
Total		37

The next election is due in 2024.

Premises

The council is based at Brentwood Town Hall on Ingrave Road, which had been built in 1957 for the former Brentwood Urban District Council.^[16]

Elections

See also: Brentwood Borough Council elections

Since the last boundary changes in 2002, the council has comprised 37 councillors representing 15 wards; each ward elects one, two or three councillors. Elections are held three years out of every four, with roughly a third of the council being elected each time for a four-year term. In the fourth year of the cycle, when there are no elections for the borough council, elections for Essex County Council are held instead.^[17]

Geography

 

Mountnessing, one of the settlements of the borough

There are still large areas of woodland including Shenfield Common, Hartswood (named after its last private owner, a Mr. Hart), Weald Country Park, and Thorndon Country Park.

Transport

The main transport links run through the borough in a south-west to north-east direction, with other important links running west to east.

Railway

Railway stations at Shenfield and Ingatestone facilitate services along the Great Eastern Main Line to Colchester, Clacton, Ipswich and London Liverpool Street; these are operated by Greater Anglia.^[18]

Brentwood and Shenfield stations are served by Greater Anglia trains between Liverpool Street, Billericay, Southend Airport and Southend Victoria; some peak hour services run to Southminster.^[18] Elizabeth line stopping trains run between London Paddington, Brentwood and Shenfield; this route is operated by MTR.^[19]

Also within the borough is West Horndon station, on the London, Tilbury & Southend line; c2c provides direct trains to London Fenchurch Street, Basildon, Southend Central and Shoeburyness.^[20]

Roads

A major trunk road running through the borough is the A12 dual-carriageway, running from East London to Chelmsford, Colchester, the ports of Harwich and Felixstowe, Ipswich and Lowestoft. The old Roman road (A1023) passes through the centre of Brentwood and joins the A12, which by-passes the town. Within different parts of Brentwood, the A1023 is called (from west to east) Brook Street, London Road, High Street, Shenfield Road, and Chelmsford Road.

The other main road in the borough is the A127 Southend Arterial Road, which separates from the A12 near Romford and then proceeds easterly to Southend-on-Sea.

Media

The borough is served by a dedicated community radio stations, Phoenix FM.

Education

Secondary schools

• Anglo European School
• Brentwood County High School
• Brentwood School
• Brentwood Ursuline Convent School
• Becket Keys
• Shenfield High School
• St Martin's School

Primary schools

• Bentley St. Paul's Church of England School
• Blackmore Primary School
• Doddinghurst CofE Junior School
• Doddinghurst Infant School
• Hogarth Primary School
• Holly Trees Primary School
• Hutton All Saints Church of England Primary School
• Ingatestone and Fryerning Church of England Primary School
• Ingatestone Infant School
• Ingrave Johnstone Church of England Primary School
• Kelvedon Hatch Community Primary School
• Larchwood Primary School
• Long Ridings Primary School
• Mountnessing Church of England Primary School
• St. Helen's Catholic Infant School
• St. Helen's Catholic Junior School
• St. Joseph the Worker Roman Catholic Primary School
• St. Mary's Church of England Primary School
• St. Peter's Church of England Primary School
• St. Thomas of Canterbury Church of England Infant School
• St. Thomas of Canterbury Church of England Junior School
• Warley Primary School
• West Horndon Primary School
• Willowbrook Primary School (formerly Brookfield School)

Special schools

• The Endeavour School
• Grove House School

Civil parishes and settlements in the borough

There are nine civil parishes in the borough. The former Brentwood Urban District is an unparished area, directly administered by Brentwood Borough Council.^[21][22]

Unparished Brentwood Childerditch Great Warley Havering's Grove Hutton Little Warley Pilgrims Hatch Shenfield South Weald Warley

Parished Blackmore, Hook End and Wyatts Green Blackmore Hook End Wyatts Green Doddinghurst Ingatestone and Fryerning Ingatestone Fryerning Kelvedon Hatch Mountnessing Navestock Stondon Massey Herongate and Ingrave Herongate Ingrave West Horndon

Twinning

Brentwood is twinned with Roth bei Nürnberg in Germany and Montbazon in France.

Arms

Coat of arms of Borough of Brentwood

Notes Originally granted to Brentwood Urban District Council on 1 August 1951. Crest On a wreath of the colours rising from the battlements of a tower Azure a demi stag Or. Escutcheon Per fesse rayonée Argent and Gules in chief a Cornish chough Proper between two pilgrim's staves erect Sable in base three ancient crowns two and one Or. Motto Ardens Fide (Burning Faith)^[23]

References

1. UK Census (2021). "2021 Census Area Profile – Brentwood Local Authority (E07000068)". Nomis. Office for National Statistics. Retrieved 5 January 2024.
2. "Introducing the new Mayor of Brentwood". Brentwood Borough Council. 19 May 2023. Retrieved 23 May 2023.
3. Ferris, Mick (10 September 2019). "New CEO for Brentwood Council". Yellow Advertiser. Retrieved 2 June 2023.
4. "Councillors". Brentwood Borough Council. Retrieved 23 March 2022.
5. "Brentwood Urban District". A Vision of Britain through Time. GB Historical GIS. Retrieved 2 June 2023.
6. "The English Non-metropolitan Districts (Definition) Order 1972", legislation.gov.uk, The National Archives, SI 1972/2039, retrieved 31 May 2023
7. "The English Non-metropolitan Districts (Names) Order 1973", legislation.gov.uk, The National Archives, SI 1973/551, retrieved 31 May 2023
8. (PDF). Department of The Environment. Archived from the original (PDF) on 13 December 2011. Retrieved 15 January 2012.
9. "Local Government Act 1972", legislation.gov.uk, The National Archives, 1972 c. 70, retrieved 31 May 2023
10. Dedman, Simon (19 May 2023). "Brentwood Council: Lib Dems to run authority with Labour". BBC News. Retrieved 23 May 2023.
11. "Compositions calculator". The Elections Centre. Retrieved 1 June 2023.
12. "Brentwood". BBC News Online. 19 April 2009. Retrieved 7 May 2010.
13. "Lib Dems gain two seats from Tories in local election". Brentwood Weekly News. 7 May 2010. Retrieved 7 May 2010.
14. "Council minutes". Brentwood Borough Council. Retrieved 10 June 2022.
15. "Local elections 2023: live council results for England". The Guardian.
16. Bettley, J.; Pevsner, N. (2007). The Buildings of England Series: Essex. Yale University Press. ISBN 978-0300116144.
17. "The Borough of Brentwood (Electoral Changes) Order 2001", legislation.gov.uk, The National Archives, SI 2001/2441, retrieved 3 June 2023
18. "Timetables". Greater Anglia. 21 May 2023. Retrieved 30 September 2023.
19. "Elizabeth line timetables". Transport for London. 21 May 2023. Retrieved 30 September 2023.
20. "Timetables". c2c. 21 May 2023. Retrieved 30 September 2023.
21. "Election Maps". Ordnance Survey. Retrieved 3 June 2023.
22. "Parish Council contact details". Brentwood Borough Council. Retrieved 3 June 2023.
23. "East of England Region". Civic Heraldry of England. Retrieved 8 March 2021.

51°36′N 0°18′E / 51.6°N 0.3°E / 51.6; 0.3