City of Colchester

The City of Colchester is a local government district with city status in Essex, England, named after its main settlement, Colchester. It is the most populous district in Essex, with an estimated population of 200,222 as of mid-2024.

The district includes the towns of West Mersea and Wivenhoe, along with many rural areas. These areas stretch from Dedham Vale near the Suffolk border in the north to Mersea Island in the Colne Estuary to the south.

Colchester borders several other districts, including Tendring District to the east, Maldon District to the south, Braintree District to the west, and Babergh District in Suffolk to the north.

History

Colchester has a long history as a place with its own local government, dating back to Saxon times. Important community leaders, called burgesses, were already in place by the time of the Domesday survey in 1086. An old document from 1189 shows that Colchester already had special rights, long before that year.

In 1836, the local government changed to become a municipal borough. The current district was created on 1 April 1974, under the Local Government Act 1972. It joined together four older areas: Colchester Municipal Borough, Lexden and Winstree Rural District, West Mersea Urban District, and Wivenhoe Urban District. The new district was named after its largest town, Colchester.

When Queen Elizabeth II celebrated her Platinum Jubilee in 2022, Colchester was given city status, allowing the council to change its name to Colchester City Council. Plans are being made to change local government in Essex, with Colchester joining two other districts to form a new unitary authority by 2028.

Arms and branding

Main article: Coat of arms of Colchester

The coat of arms of Colchester shows symbols linked to its old Roman history. It features a Roman soldier and an oyster fisherman. The design also includes ideas from stories about St Helena, the city's patron saint, who lived there during Roman times.

Some road signs at the edges of the town call Colchester "Britain's first city" because it was an important Roman settlement known as a colonia.

Governance

Colchester City Council takes care of services for the area, while Essex County Council handles services for the wider county. Some parts of the district also have civil parishes, which add another layer of local government.

The council has not been controlled by one group since 2008. In May 2025, a team from the Liberal Democrat and Labour parties began leading the council, with Liberal Democrat councillor David King as the main leader and Labour councillor Julie Young as deputy leader. Before this, from the 2023 election until 2025, the Liberal Democrats led with some help from Labour and the Green Party when needed.

The first election for the borough council was held in 1973, and the current system began on 1 April 1974. Since then, the council has had different groups leading at different times.

The main leader of the council provides political leadership, while the role of mayor is mostly for ceremonies.

The council meets at Colchester Town Hall, a building finished in 1902. Most of the council’s offices are in a modern building called Rowan House on Sheepen Road.

Elections

See also: Colchester City Council elections

Since 2016, the council has had 51 councillors representing 17 wards. Each ward elects three councillors. Elections happen three out of every four years, with one councillor from each ward chosen each time to serve for four years. In the year without city council elections, elections for Essex County Council take place instead.

Demography

The City of Colchester has grown over the years. In 2008, about 181,000 people lived there. By the time of the 2021 census, the population had risen to 192,700.

In 2011, most people in Colchester were White, making up 92% of the population. Asians were the second largest group at 3.6%. Small percentages of the population were Black, mixed race, Arab, and from other ethnic groups. Most people identified as Christian, while many had no religious affiliation. Other religions included Muslim, Hindu, Buddhist, Jewish, and Sikh, among others.

Parishes

The City of Colchester has 35 civil parishes. These are small areas with their own local councils. The main city area, called Colchester, does not have a parish council. Some smaller parishes share councils together. For example, Abberton and Langenhoe share one council, and several tiny parishes like Great and Little Wigborough share another.

Some places, like Layer Breton and Layer Marney, have small groups of people who meet instead of having a full council. Here is a list of all the parishes in the area:

• Abberton
• Aldham
• Birch
• Boxted
• Chappel
• Copford
• Dedham
• East Donyland
• East Mersea
• Eight Ash Green
• Fingringhoe
• Fordham
• Great and Little Wigborough
• Great Horkesley
• Great Tey
• Langenhoe
• Langham
• Layer Breton
• Layer de la Haye
• Layer Marney
• Little Horkesley
• Marks Tey
• Messing-cum-Inworth
• Mount Bures
• Myland
• Peldon
• Salcott
• Stanway
• Tiptree
• Virley
• Wakes Colne
• West Bergholt
• West Mersea (town)
• Wivenhoe (town)
• Wormingford