Basildon

Coordinates: 51°34′34″N 0°29′19″E / 51.5761°N 0.4886°E / 51.5761; 0.4886

Basildon /ˈbæzɪldən/ is the largest town in the borough of Basildon in the county of Essex, England.

It lies 32 miles (51 km) east of Central London,11 miles (18 km) south of the city of Chelmsford and 10 miles (16 km) west of Southend-on-Sea. Nearby smaller towns include Billericay to the north, Wickford northeast and South Benfleet to the east. It was created as a new town after World War II in 1948 to accommodate the London population overspill, from the conglomeration of four small villages, namely Pitsea, Laindon, Basildon and Vange. The new town which took the name Basildon was the most central of the four.

The local government district of Basildon, which was formed in 1974 and received borough status in 2010, encapsulates a larger area than the town itself; the two neighbouring towns of Billericay and Wickford, as well as rural villages and smaller settlements set among the surrounding countryside, fall within its borders. Basildon Town is one of the most densely populated areas in the county.

Borough of Basildon

The Borough of Basildon is a local government district in south Essex in the East of England, centred on the town of Basildon. The district was formed under the Local Government Act 1972 on 1 April 1974 from the former area of Basildon Urban District and the part of Thurrock Urban District that was within the Basildon New Town. The population of the district as of 2010 is about 172,000. The council made an application for borough status in February 2010 and this was given approval that year, with Cllr Mo Larkin becoming the first mayor in October. The local authority is Basildon Borough Council.

Governance

Elections to Basildon Borough Council are held in three out of every four years, with one third of the 42 seats on the council being elected at each election. Both the Conservative and Labour parties have controlled the council at different times, as well as periods when no party has had a majority. The Conservative party has controlled the council since winning a majority at the 2003 election. The council is currently composed of the following councillors:

Basildon (UK Parliament constituency)

Basildon was a parliamentary constituency represented in the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. It elected one Member of Parliament (MP) by the first past the post system of election.

It was created in 1974, mostly from the seat of Billericay. It was one of the best known bellwether constituencies in Britain, having voted for the winning party in each election since its creation. The failure of the Labour Party to win it in the 1992 election — Basildon would be the first to declare of all the marginal seats — foreshadowed Labour's fourth straight defeat at the hands of the Conservative Party.

Boundaries

1974-1983: The Urban District of Basildon.

1983-1997: The District of Basildon wards of Fryerns Central, Fryerns East, Langdon Hills, Lee Chapel North, Nethermayne, Pitsea East, Pitsea West, and Vange.

1997-2010: The District of Basildon wards of Fryerns Central, Fryerns East, Langdon Hills, Lee Chapel North, Nethermayne, and Vange, and the Borough of Thurrock wards of Corringham and Fobbing, Orsett, Stanford-le-Hope, and The Homesteads.