1985 Essex County Council election explained

Election Name:	1985 Essex County Council election
Country:	Essex
Type:	Parliamentary
Ongoing:	no
Party Colour:	yes
Previous Election:	1981 Essex County Council election
Previous Year:	1981
Next Election:	1989 Essex County Council election
Next Year:	1989
Seats For Election:	All 98 seats to Essex County Council
Majority Seats:	49
Election Date:	2 May 1985
Party1:	Conservative Party (UK)
Last Election1:	51 seats, 42.5%
Seats Before1:	50
Seats1:	45
Seat Change1:	6
Popular Vote1:	176,004
Percentage1:	39.8%
Swing1:	2.7%
Party2:	Labour Party (UK)
Last Election2:	32 seats, 34.1%
Seats Before2:	31
Seats2:	29
Seat Change2:	3
Popular Vote2:	131,068
Percentage2:	29.6%
Swing2:	4.5%
Party4:	SDP-Liberal Alliance
Last Election4:	13 seats, 19.7%
Seats Before4:	14
Seats4:	23
Seat Change4:	10
Popular Vote4:	130,848
Percentage4:	29.2%
Swing4:	8.1%
Party5:	Loughton Residents Association
Last Election5:	1 seats, 0.4%
Seats Before5:	1
Seats5:	1
Popular Vote5:	2,399
Percentage5:	0.5%
Swing5:	0.1%
Council control
Posttitle:	Council control after election
Before Party:	Conservative Party (UK)
After Party:	No overall control

The 1985 Essex County Council election took place on 2 May 1985 as part of the 1985 United Kingdom local elections. 98 councillors were elected from various electoral divisions, which returned either one or two county councillors each by first-past-the-post voting for a four-year term of office.

Summary

Election result

Results by local authority

Basildon

**Basildon District Summary**
Party	Seats	+/-	Votes	%	+/-
	6		<	-- votes -->18,235	<	-- pp -->40.3	<	-- change -->–2.6
	3		<	-- votes -->14,386	<	-- pp -->31.8	<	-- change -->+1.2
	1	1	<	-- votes -->11,830	<	-- pp -->26.1	<	-- change -->+10.3
	0	1	<	-- votes -->816	<	-- pp -->1.8	<	-- change -->–6.6
Total	10		<	-- votes -->45,267	<	-- pp -->38.0	<	-- change -->–3.5

Division Results

Braintree

**Braintree District Summary**
Party	Seats	+/-	Votes	%	+/-
	4	1	<	-- votes -->14,923	<	-- pp -->40.8	<	-- change -->–4.3
	2	1	<	-- votes -->11,376	<	-- pp -->31.1	<	-- change -->–6.5
	1		<	-- votes -->10,273	<	-- pp -->28.1	<	-- change -->+10.8
Total	7		<	-- votes -->36,572	<	-- pp -->42.4	<	-- change -->–1.0

Division results

Brentwood

**Brentwood District Summary**
Party	Seats	+/-	Votes	%	+/-
	4	1	<	-- votes -->11,520	<	-- pp -->46.0	<	-- change -->–5.8
	1	1	<	-- votes -->8,807	<	-- pp -->35.2	<	-- change -->+11.6
	0		<	-- votes -->4,717	<	-- pp -->18.8	<	-- change -->–5.8
Total	5		<	-- votes -->25,044	<	-- pp -->44.8	<	-- change -->–1.0

Division results

Castle Point

**Castle Point District Summary**
Party	Seats	+/-	Votes	%	+/-
	4	1	<	-- votes -->11,398	<	-- pp -->50.1	<	-- change -->+3.3
	1	1	<	-- votes -->7,216	<	-- pp -->31.7	<	-- change -->–1.2
	0		<	-- votes -->4,157	<	-- pp -->18.3	<	-- change -->–1.9
Total	6		<	-- votes -->22,771	<	-- pp -->34.3	<	-- change -->–5.1

Division results

Chelmsford

**Chelmsford District Summary**
Party	Seats	Votes	%	+/-
	5	<	-- votes -->19,957	<	-- pp -->43.6	<	-- change -->+0.7
	4	<	-- votes -->18,749	<	-- pp -->41.0	<	-- change -->–0.1
	0	<	-- votes -->7,037	<	-- pp -->15.4	<	-- change -->–0.6
Total	9	<	-- votes -->45,743	<	-- pp -->40.9	<	-- change -->–4.9

Division results

Colchester

**District Summary**
Party	Seats	+/-	Votes	%	+/-
	5		<	-- votes -->16,855	<	-- pp -->39.8	<	-- change -->–10.0
	3	3	<	-- votes -->14,369	<	-- pp -->33.9	<	-- change -->+27.1
	1	3	<	-- votes -->11,121	<	-- pp -->26.3	<	-- change -->–15.7
Total	9		<	-- votes -->42,345	<	-- pp -->38.3	<	-- change -->–0.8

Division results

No Ecology candidate as previous (-6.4).

No Ecology candidate as previous (-6.0).

Epping Forest

**Epping Forest District Summary**
Party	Seats	Votes	%	+/-
	5	<	-- votes -->15,017	<	-- pp -->44.0	<	-- change -->–7.1
	2	<	-- votes -->9,425	<	-- pp -->27.6	<	-- change -->–4.4
	1	<	-- votes -->2,399	<	-- pp -->7.0	<	-- change -->+2.5
	0	<	-- votes -->7,039	<	-- pp -->20.6	<	-- change -->+8.6
	0	<	-- votes -->212	<	-- pp -->0.6	<	-- change -->N/A
Total	8	<	-- votes -->34,092	<	-- pp -->37.3	<	-- change -->–5.7

Division results

Harlow

**Harlow District Summary**
Party	Seats	Votes	%	+/-
	5	<	-- votes -->13,343	<	-- pp -->59.0	<	-- change -->+0.5
	0	<	-- votes -->5,158	<	-- pp -->22.8	<	-- change -->+3.7
	0	<	-- votes -->4,110	<	-- pp -->18.2	<	-- change -->–2.6
Total	5	<	-- votes -->22,611	<	-- pp -->38.2	<	-- change -->–3.8

Division Results

Maldon

**Maldon District Summary**
Party	Seats	+/-	Votes	%	+/-
	2	1	<	-- votes -->7,239	<	-- pp -->46.6	<	-- change -->+2.6
	1	1	<	-- votes -->5,692	<	-- pp -->36.7	<	-- change -->+0.1
	0		<	-- votes -->2,590	<	-- pp -->16.7	<	-- change -->–2.6
Total	3		<	-- votes -->15,521	<	-- pp -->40.9	<	-- change -->–4.6

Division results

Rochford

**Rochford District Summary**
Party	Seats	+/-	Votes	%	+/-
	2	1	<	-- votes -->8,980	<	-- pp -->42.5	<	-- change -->–9.3
	2	1	<	-- votes -->5,645	<	-- pp -->26.7	<	-- change -->+14.2
	1		<	-- votes -->5,811	<	-- pp -->27.5	<	-- change -->–3.9
Total	5		<	-- votes -->21,134	<	-- pp -->36.6	<	-- change -->–1.7

Division results

Southend

**Southend District Summary**
Party	Seats	+/-	Votes	%	+/-
	7	3	<	-- votes -->20,032	<	-- pp -->41.6	<	-- change -->+11.5
	3	3	<	-- votes -->18,847	<	-- pp -->39.1	<	-- change -->–4.8
	1		<	-- votes -->8,644	<	-- pp -->17.9	<	-- change -->–5.2
	0		<	-- votes -->321	<	-- pp -->0.7	<	-- change -->N/A
	0		<	-- votes -->319	<	-- pp -->0.7	<	-- change -->–1.2
Total	11		<	-- votes -->48,164	<	-- pp -->38.0	<	-- change -->–2.5

Division results

Tendring

**Tendring District Summary**
Party	Seats	Votes	%	+/-
	4	<	-- votes -->15,674	<	-- pp -->41.5	<	-- change -->–2.6
	2	<	-- votes -->11,472	<	-- pp -->30.4	<	-- change -->+5.3
	2	<	-- votes -->10,483	<	-- pp -->27.7	<	-- change -->–1.1
	0	<	-- votes -->168	<	-- pp -->0.4	<	-- change -->–0.9
Total	8	<	-- votes -->37,797	<	-- pp -->39.7	<	-- change -->+2.4

Division result

Thurrock

**District Summary**
Party	Seats	Votes	%	+/-
	8	<	-- votes -->16,814	<	-- pp -->66.8	<	-- change -->+3.3
	0	<	-- votes -->8,274	<	-- pp -->32.9	<	-- change -->+2.3
	0	<	-- votes -->69	<	-- pp -->0.3	<	-- change -->N/A
Total	8	<	-- votes -->25,157	<	-- pp -->26.7	<	-- change -->–8.6

Division results

Uttlesford

**Uttlesford District Summary**
Party	Seats	Votes	%	+/-
	4	<	-- votes -->10,032	<	-- pp -->48.2	<	-- change -->–1.9
	0	<	-- votes -->6,417	<	-- pp -->30.8	<	-- change -->+17.8
	0	<	-- votes -->4,256	<	-- pp -->20.4	<	-- change -->–5.0
	0	<	-- votes -->118	<	-- pp -->0.6	<	-- change -->–11.0
Total	4	<	-- votes -->20,823	<	-- pp -->42.4	<	-- change -->–5.1

Division results