Essex County Council candidates from Maldon and Burnham

Only one councillor will be elected for each of the county’s wards when elections take place on Thursday, May 7.

The county council elections were postponed from last May and are typically held every four years.

They decide who is responsible for major services including schools, social care, roads, libraries and trading standards.

Candidates for Burnham and Southminster are:

• Nigel Betts, Reform UK
• Jackie Brown, Labour Party
• Gary Alan Duce, Conservative Party
• Wendy Stamp, Independent
• Robert Jones, Liberal Democrats
• Simon Robert Mills, Green Party

Maldon Rural North candidates:

• Stuart Clarke, Reform UK
• Mark Durham, Conservative Party
• Isobel Doubleday, Green Party
• Nick Spenceley, Liberal Democrats
• Helen Wightwick, Labour Party

Map - County electoral divisions are different from ward boundaries for district and borough councils' elections (Image: Ordnance Survey)

Maldon Rural South candidates:

• Mark Geoffrey Bassenger, Independent
• James Eley, Liberal Democrats
• Jane Fleming, Conservative Party
• Richard Jonathan George, Green Party
• Linda Joan Haywood, Independent
• Justin Jay, Reform UK
• Felix Preston, Labour Party

Maldon Town and Heybridge candidates:

• James Burrell-Cook, Conservative Party
• Stephen Capper, Labour Party
• Samuel Cousins, Reform UK
• John Driver, Liberal Democrats
• Kevin Lagan, Independent
• James Reece-Ford, Green Party

Mersea and Tiptree candidates:

• Heidi Cornish, Green Party
• Paul Alistair Dundas, Conservative Party
• Barry Gilheany, Labour Party
• Jacqui Morley, Liberal Democrats
• Christopher Paul Perera, Reform UK

Woodham Ferrers candidates:

• Christopher Benn, Reform UK
• Keith Bentley, South Woodham Ferrers Residents Party
• Alicia Cash, Green Party
• Donna Eley, Liberal Democrats
• Jonathan Gatenby, Labour Party
• Bob Massey, Conservative Party

Essex (Image: Newsquest)

Each division elects one county councillor on a first‑past‑the‑post basis, with the candidate winning the most votes taking the seat.

Polling stations will be open from 7am to 10pm, with residents needing to be registered and to bring accepted photo ID to cast their vote under current rules.

The election takes place while local government is in the midst of one of the biggest shake-ups in decades with Local Government Reorganisation.

Under proposals developed with the government, the county council and district and borough councils will be disbanded and replaced by five new unitary authorities.

The new North East Essex County will consist of Colchester, Braintree and Tendring.

The Mid Essex Council will include Maldon, Chelmsford and Brentwood, while the West Essex Council will be Harlow, Epping Forest, and Uttlesford.

The new authorities will be established in April 2028.