Borough of Brentwood

Template:Short description Template:About Template:Use dmy dates Template:Use British English Template:Infobox settlement 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.

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.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> 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:<ref>Template:Cite legislation UK</ref>

• 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.<ref>Template:Cite legislation UK</ref> The district was awarded borough status on 10 March 1993, allowing the chair of the council to take the title of mayor.<ref name="bulletin9293">Template:Cite web</ref>

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.<ref>Template:Cite legislation UK</ref>

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.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>

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:<ref name=compositions>Template:Cite web (Put "Brentwood" in search box to see specific results.)</ref><ref name=lose>Template:Cite news</ref><ref name=two>Template:Cite web</ref>

Party in control		Years
Template:Party name with colour	1974–1990
Template:Party name with colour	1990–1991
Template:Party name with colour	1991–2003
Template:Party name with colour	2003–2004
Template:Party name with colour	2004–2014
Template:Party name with colour	2014–2015
Template:Party name with colour	2015–2023
Template:Party name with colour	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:

Councillor	Party		From	To
Chris Dale<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>	Template:Party name with colour	May 1991	Oct 1995
David Gottesmann<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>	Template:Party name with colour	Oct 1995	May 2002
Vicky Cook<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>	Template:Party name with colour	22 May 2002	Jun 2004
Brandon Lewis<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref>	Template:Party name with colour	23 Jun 2004	18 Mar 2009
Louise McKinlay<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite news</ref>	Template:Party name with colour	13 May 2009	May 2014
Barry Aspinell<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>	Template:Party name with colour	11 Jun 2014	May 2015
Louise McKinlay<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite news</ref>	Template:Party name with colour	20 May 2015	15 May 2019
Chris Hossack<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite news</ref>	Template:Party name with colour	15 May 2019	7 May 2023
Barry Aspinell<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>	Template:Party name with colour	17 May 2023

Composition

Following the 2024 election,<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> and subsequent changes of allegiance in April 2025, the composition of the council was:<ref name=Thorncliffe>Template:Cite web</ref>

Party		Councillors
Template:Party name with colour	19
Template:Party name with colour	17
Template:Party name with colour	3
Total		39

The next election is due in May 2026.<ref name=Thorncliffe/>

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.<ref>Template:Cite book</ref>

Elections

Template:Also 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.<ref>Template:Cite legislation UK</ref>

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.<ref name=GA>Template:Cite web</ref>

Brentwood and Shenfield stations are served by Greater Anglia trains between Liverpool Street, Template:Rws, Template:Rws and Template:Rws; some peak hour services run to Template:Rws.<ref name=GA/> Elizabeth line stopping trains run between London Paddington, Brentwood and Shenfield; this route is operated by MTR.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

Also within the borough is West Horndon station, on the London, Tilbury & Southend line; c2c provides direct trains to London Fenchurch Street, Template:Rws, Southend Central and Template:Rws.<ref> Template:Cite web</ref>

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

File:Ingatestone Sign.jpg

Ingatestone, one of the settlements of 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.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Template:Col-begin Template:Col-2

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.

References

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