Borough of Brentwood

Borough of Brentwood
Non-metropolitan district, 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 (Conservative)
  MPs Eric Pickles
Area
  Total 59.12 sq mi (153.12 km2)
Area rank 187th (of 326)
Population (2011 est.)
  Total 73,800
  Rank 298th (of 326)
  Density 1,200/sq mi (480/km2)
  Ethnicity 93.4% White
2.9% S.Asian [Majority of which are of Mauritian descent]
1.4% Black
1.3% Mixed
1.0% Chinese or Other
Time zone GMT (UTC0)
  Summer (DST) BST (UTC+1)
ONS code 22UD (ONS)
E07000068 (GSS)
OS grid reference TQ595938
Website www.brentwood.gov.uk

The Borough of Brentwood is a local government district and borough in Essex in the East of England.

History & Geography

The borough is named after the town of Brentwood which is the main development in the area. 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. The original district council was formed in 1974 from the former area of Brentwood Urban District, part of Epping and Ongar Rural District and part of Chelmsford Rural District. By royal charter, the district became a borough on 27 April 1993.

Politics

The council has 37 councillors, divided between 15 wards with between 1 and 3 councillors. Following the United Kingdom local elections, 2014 the political composition of Brentwood Borough Council is as follows:

Year Conservative Liberal Democrat Brentwood First Labour Independent
2014 18 11 4 3 1

Boundaries

Brentwood is bordered by Epping Forest district (to the north-west), Chelmsford (north-east), Basildon district (south-east), Thurrock (south, aligned with the London, Tilbury and Southend Railway and the London Borough of Havering (south-west).

Transport

The main transport links run in a south-west to north east direction through the Borough with other important links running west to east. Shenfield and Ingatestone provide long distant trains to Colchester, Ipswich and other long distant destinations. However Brentwood is served by local trains between London Liverpool Street and Shenfield. Both Brentwood and Shenfield are also served by medium distant trains to Southend Victoria, Southend Airport and Southminster. Also within the borough is West Horndon which provides direct trains to London Fenchurch Street and Southend-on-Sea.

A major artery running through the borough is the A12 dual-carriageway, running from London to Chelmsford, then Colchester, the ports of Harwich and Felixstowe, Ipswich, Lowestoft, and finally Great Yarmouth. The old Roman road (A1023) goes right through the centre of Brentwood and joins the A12 (that bypasses the town) at the far ends of Brentwood. 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 is the A127 which separates from the A12 near Romford and then proceeds easterly to Southend-on-Sea.

Media

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

Education

Secondary schools

Primary schools

Special school

Civil parishes and settlements in the borough

Unparished

Parished

Twinning

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

References

    Coordinates: 51°36′N 0°18′E / 51.6°N 0.3°E