Brentwood, Brook Street, Childerditch, East Horndon, Great Warley, Harold Park, Harold Wood, Herongate, Hutton, Hutton Mount, Ingrave, Little Warley, Noak Hill, Shenfield, South Weald, Warley, CM15 8, CM14 5, CM13 3, RM3 9, RM3 0, CM13 1, CM13 2, RM4 1 Town and parish councils vary in size from those with a population of around 200 to those with a population of over 30,000. Annual expenditure can vary greatly, depending on the circumstances of the individual council. Parish and town councils (local councils) have the same powers and duties, but a town council may elect a town mayor, rather than a chairman, each year in May. At the 2013 County Council elections the Conservative Party retained overall control of the council, but its majority fell from twenty-two to four councillors. UKIP, Labour and the Liberal Democrats each won nine seats. Out of those three parties, UKIP gained the largest share of the county-wide vote, more than 10% ahead of Labour. [3] The Liberal Democrats remain as the official Opposition, despite winning fewer votes. [3] The Green Party gained two seats on the council, despite its overall share of the vote falling. The independent Loughton Residents Association and the Canvey Island Independent Party both returned one member and an Independent candidate was also elected. The main airport in Essex is Stansted Airport, serving destinations in Europe, North Africa and Asia. [67] The Conservative-Liberal Democrat coalition government, formed in May 2010, agreed not to allow a further runway until a set time period, so curtailing the operator's ambitions for expansion. London Southend Airport, once one of Britain's busiest airports, opened a new runway extension, terminal building and railway station in March 2012. [68] It has a station on the Shenfield to Southend Line, with a direct link to London.

The Essex coast was prey to Vikings, skilled in navigating the creeks, and several of the place-names of Essex are evidence of Danish settlement here. While Danish rule was overthrown in the early tenth century, the Vikings were still on the seas and in service too with ambitious rulers; it was the Battle of Maldon in Essex in 991, recalled in verse, which marked a new onslaught leading to the victory of Swegn and his son King Cnut. The late Roman period, and the period shortly after, was the setting for the King Cole legends based around Colchester. [17] One version of the legend concerns St Helena, the mother of Constantine the Great. The legend makes her the daughter of Coel, Duke of the Britons ( King Cole) and in it she gives birth to Constantine in Colchester. This, and related legends, are at variance with biographical details as they are now known, but it is likely that Constantine, and his father, Constantius spent time in Colchester during their years in Britain. [18] The presence of St Helena in the country is less certain.Britain's richest towns: 20 – 11". The Daily Telegraph. London. 18 April 2008. Archived from the original on 3 February 2014. Many Essex residents especially in the southwest of the county work and commute in London. Most say it's like their second home. But do not tell people from Essex they're Londoners despite some southwestern parts being inside the M25 circle. Before the creation of the county councils, county-level administration was limited in nature; lord-lieutenants replaced the sheriffs from the time of Henry VIII and took a primarily military role, responsible for the militia and the Volunteer Force that replaced it. The Sunshine Coast Line linking Colchester to the seaside resorts of Clacton-on-Sea and Walton-on-the-Naze via the picturesque towns of Wivenhoe and Great Bentley.

Allen's Green, Ardley End, Bedlar's Green, Gaston Green, Great Hallingbury, Green Tye, Hatfield Heath, High Wych, Little Hallingbury, Perry Green, Sawbridgeworth, Sheering, Spellbrook, Thorley, Thorley Houses, Thorley Street, Wright's Green, CM21 0, CM22 7, SG10 6, CM23 4 About us". www.young-essex-assembly.org.uk. Archived from the original on 15 February 2017 . Retrieved 14 February 2017. Writtle University College, at Writtle, near Chelmsford, offers both higher and further education in land-management subjects. The ports have branch lines to connect them to the national rail network. These freight movements conflict with the needs of commuter passenger services, limiting their frequency and reliability. [66] Gray, Adrian (1987) [1987]. Tales of Old Essex. Berkshire: Countryside Books. p.27. ISBN 0-905392-98-1.

Much of the Victorian development of the county was caused by the railway. By 1843 the Eastern Counties Railway had connected Bishopsgate station in London with Brentwood and Colchester, in 1856, they opened a branch to Loughton (later extended to Ongar) and by 1884 the London, Tilbury and Southend Railway had connected Fenchurch Street railway station in the City of London to Grays, Tilbury, Southend-on-Sea and Shoeburyness. Some of the railways were built primarily to transport goods but some (for example the Loughton branch) were deliberately planned to cater for commuter traffic; they unintentionally created the holiday resorts of Southend, Clacton and Frinton-on-Sea. Essex Girls" is a derogatory term applied to vain and promiscuous young women supposedly to be found in the Thamesside towns of Essex. Bobbingworth, Chipping Ongar, Clatterford End, Fyfield, Greensted, High Ongar, Marden Ash, Miller's Green, Moreton, Nine Ashes, Norton Heath, Norton Mandeville, Paslow Wood Common, Radley Green, Shelley, Shellow Bowells, Willingale, Witney Green, CM5 0, CM5 9, CM4 0