Essex
Every election cycle we have data for, most recent first.
Cycles
- 2026 77 races · 77 seats 88.3% below quota
- 2021 70 races · 75 seats 37.3% below quota
- 2017 70 races · 75 seats 34.7% below quota
Council composition as of 2026
77 councillors, by party. One square per seat. Source: opencouncildata annual snapshot — reflects the council at the end of 2026 (after that year's elections, by-elections and defections). Hover any seat for the party.
Most recent election (2026)
In 2026, 77 seats were up across 77 wards. The table below shows what each party actually won — alongside what they would have won if the 77 seats had been shared in proportion to votes received (how, with caveats). The Δ column is the actual seat count minus the proportional seat count — positive numbers are parties First-Past-the-Post over-represented; negative are parties it under-represented.
| Party | Votes | Vote % | Seats won | % of seats | Proportional seats | Proportional % | Δ |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Reform UK | 186,194 | 37.4% | 53 | 68.8% | 30 | 39.0% | +23 |
| Conservative Party | 125,275 | 25.2% | 13 | 16.9% | 20 | 26.0% | -7 |
| Liberal Democrats | 57,084 | 11.5% | 5 | 6.5% | 9 | 11.7% | -4 |
| Green Party | 45,661 | 9.2% | 1 | 1.3% | 7 | 9.1% | -6 |
| Labour Party | 42,113 | 8.5% | 1 | 1.3% | 7 | 9.1% | -6 |
| Independent | 19,920 | 4.0% | 2 | 2.6% | 3 | 3.9% | -1 |
| Residents for Uttlesford | 6,271 | 1.3% | 1 | 1.3% | 1 | 1.3% | 0 |
| The People's Independent Party | 5,566 | 1.1% | 1 | 1.3% | 0 | 0.0% | +1 |
| Independent Loughton Residents Association | 4,064 | 0.8% | 0 | 0.0% | 0 | 0.0% | 0 |
| Rochford District Residents | 2,631 | 0.5% | 0 | 0.0% | 0 | 0.0% | 0 |
| Canvey Island Independent Party | 2,073 | 0.4% | 0 | 0.0% | 0 | 0.0% | 0 |
| South Woodham Ferrers Residents Party | 383 | 0.1% | 0 | 0.0% | 0 | 0.0% | 0 |
| Trade Unionist and Socialist Coalition | 339 | 0.1% | 0 | 0.0% | 0 | 0.0% | 0 |
| Advance UK | 164 | 0.0% | 0 | 0.0% | 0 | 0.0% | 0 |
| English Democrats | 89 | 0.0% | 0 | 0.0% | 0 | 0.0% | 0 |
| Total | 497,827 | 100.0% | 77 | 100.0% | 77 | 100.0% | 0 |
Vote share vs seats won
The top bar is each party's share of votes cast in this council. Below, one square per seat, coloured by the party that won it — first the actual First-Past-the-Post result, then what a proportional method would have produced from the same vote totals. Divergence between the bar and the actual grid is the indictment of the method.
Full ward-by-ward results for 2026 →
Composition history
One row per opencouncildata annual snapshot — the council at the end of each year (after that year's elections, by-elections and defections). Newest first; hover any seat for the party.
Ward by ward
Each row is a ward, each column a cycle. Each cell shows the top-of-poll candidate's party (swatch) and their share of valid ballots. Wards are matched by name across cycles — boundary reviews can mean a ward of the same name is a slightly different area in a later cycle.
| Ward | 2017 | 2021 | 2026 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Abbey | 32% | 45% | |
| Basildon Laindon Park and Fryerns | 37% | 49% | |
| Basildon Pitsea | 39% | 50% | |
| Basildon Westley Heights | 61% | 61% | |
| Billericay and Burstead | 73% | 68% | |
| Billericay North | 48% | ||
| Bocking | 55% | 58% | 44% |
| Braintree Eastern | 57% | 49% | 46% |
| Braintree Town | 51% | 57% | 44% |
| Brentwood Hutton | 72% | 63% | 39% |
| Brentwood North | 51% | 48% | 36% |
| Brentwood Rural | 65% | 65% | 45% |
| Brentwood South | 46% | 38% | 34% |
| Brightlingsea | 47% | 45% | 32% |
| Broomfield and Writtle | 54% | 64% | 38% |
| Buckhurst Hill and Loughton South | 57% | 36% | |
| Burnham and Southminster | 41% | ||
| Burstead | 43% | ||
| Canvey Island East | 47% | 51% | 58% |
| Canvey Island West | 50% | 50% | 55% |
| Castledon and Crouch | 49% | ||
| Chelmer | 64% | 59% | 34% |
| Chelmsford Central | 42% | 43% | 48% |
| Chelmsford North | 47% | 47% | 46% |
| Chelmsford West | 39% | 43% | 46% |
| Chigwell and Buckhurst Hill East | 33% | ||
| Chigwell and Loughton Broadway | 66% | 63% | |
| Clacton East | 41% | 42% | |
| Clacton North | 50% | 51% | 57% |
| Clacton South | 55% | ||
| Clacton West | 51% | 58% | |
| Clacton West and St Osyth | 61% | ||
| Colchester Abbey | 36% | ||
| Colchester Lexden | 38% | ||
| Colchester Maypole | 34% | ||
| Colchester North | 35% | ||
| Colchester St Johns | 34% | ||
| Constable | 69% | 67% | 40% |
| Danbury and the Hanningfields | 43% | ||
| Drury | 58% | 56% | |
| Dunmow | 56% | 51% | 43% |
| Epping and Theydon Bois | 46% | 50% | 35% |
| Frinton and Walton | 52% | 56% | 47% |
| Gloucester Park | 41% | ||
| Great Baddow | 47% | 38% | |
| Great Baddow and Galleywood | 35% | ||
| Hadleigh | 66% | 51% | 35% |
| Halstead | 59% | 44% | 42% |
| Harlow Common and Church Langley | 55% | ||
| Harlow Netteswell | 45% | ||
| Harlow North | 51% | 57% | |
| Harlow Parndon and Toddbrook | 42% | ||
| Harlow South East | 58% | 62% | |
| Harlow South West | 61% | ||
| Harlow West | 49% | 57% | |
| Harwich | 51% | 57% | 44% |
| Hedingham | 65% | 63% | 37% |
| Heybridge and Tollesbury | 58% | 57% | |
| Laindon Town | 44% | ||
| Loughton Central | 69% | 66% | |
| Loughton North | 37% | ||
| Loughton South and Buckhurst Hill West | 30% | ||
| Maldon | 60% | 51% | |
| Maldon Rural North | 42% | ||
| Maldon Rural South | 43% | ||
| Maldon Town and Heybridge | 33% | ||
| Maypole | 51% | 50% | |
| Mersea and Tiptree | 49% | 72% | 38% |
| Mile End and Highwoods | 47% | 40% | |
| North Weald and Nazeing | 78% | 73% | 50% |
| Old Harlow | 54% | ||
| Ongar and Rural | 68% | 70% | 56% |
| Parsons Heath and East Gates | 43% | 41% | |
| Pitsea | 47% | ||
| Rayleigh North | 45% | 45% | |
| Rayleigh South | 50% | 48% | 39% |
| Rayleigh West | 40% | ||
| Rochford East | 43% | ||
| Rochford North | 45% | 40% | 40% |
| Rochford South | 46% | 63% | 42% |
| Rochford West | 48% | 54% | |
| Saffron Walden | 36% | 44% | 38% |
| South Benfleet | 64% | 48% | 35% |
| South Woodham Ferrers | 46% | 56% | |
| Southminster | 45% | 48% | |
| Springfield | 46% | 46% | |
| Stansted | 37% | 38% | 30% |
| Stanway and Marks Tey | 33% | ||
| Stanway and Pyefleet | 55% | 51% | |
| Stock | 68% | 69% | |
| Takeley | 40% | ||
| Tendring Rural East | 51% | 66% | 48% |
| Tendring Rural West | 60% | 55% | 34% |
| Thaxted | 58% | 40% | 31% |
| Three Fields and Great Notley | 38% | ||
| Three Fields with Great Notley | 63% | 54% | |
| Thundersley | 65% | 45% | 40% |
| Vange | 43% | ||
| Waltham Abbey | 60% | 57% | 50% |
| Westley Heights | 38% | ||
| Wickford Crouch | 58% | 73% | |
| Wickford East and Bowers Gifford | 48% | ||
| Witham Northern | 38% | 43% | |
| Witham Southern | 51% | 56% | |
| Witham Town | 40% | ||
| Witham West and Rural | 43% | ||
| Wivenhoe St Andrew | 48% | 43% | |
| Wivenhoe St. Andrew | 39% | ||
| Woodham Ferrers | 41% |