Billericay Town Council
The Loft, Crown Yard, High Street, Billericay, CM12 9BX
Telephone: 01277 625732 Fax: 01277 634784
Email: townclerk@billericaytowncouncil.gov.uk

View on-line at: http://billericaytowncouncil.gov.uk/redirectpage.asp?id=10204&SiteId=234

History of the Town Council

Considerable information about the early activities of the Billericay Union of Parishes can be found in the history of the Billericay Union Workhouse, which indicates that the Parish Union was running a workhouse as long ago as 1725.

Click here for more details about the history of the Workhouse.

The Public Health Act (1872) mapped out England into Sanitary Districts, both Urban and Rural. A Billericay Rural Sanitary District was established.

Rural Sanitary Districts existed nationally from 1875 to 1894. Their purpose was to maintain and improve public health services in rural areas, although they had less powers than Urban Sanitary Districts.

The Local Government Act (1894 (57 & 57 Vict, c58)) turned the Sanitary boards into District Councils, but retained the division of those in Urban and Rural areas. It increased the administration functions of the District Council and its Councillors in executing this and later Public Health Acts.

So in 1894 the Billericay Rural District Council was created comprising all the Parishes of the Billericay Union. This council continued until 1934 when a boundary change (The Essex Review Order, 1934;) created the Billericay Urban District Council. At that time it included the following parishes: Basildon, Bowers Gifford, Little Burstead, Great Burstead, Laindon, Lee Chapel, Nevendon, North Benfleet, Pitsea, Vange & Wickford.

Then in 1937, all the parishes were abolished, (The County of Essex, U.D. of Billericay (Union of Parishes) Confirmation Order, 1936;) and one single Billericay Parish was created comprising the whole Urban District.

In 1955 the Billericay Urban District transformed into the Basildon Urban District, still ostensibly containing one parish called Billericay.

This situation lasted until 1974, when the Local Government Act 1972 created Basildon District Council, and abolished the Billericay Parish.

And so it would have stayed, if it had not been for the Local Government Commission for England reviewing all local authorities in 1992. A group of Billericay people formed a Steering Committee to campaign for Parish Councils in the Billericay Area once again.

In 1997 the new parishes of Billericay, Great Burstead & South Green, Little Burstead, Ramsden Crays and Ramsden Bellhouse were created.

Town Council Offices, Crown Yard, Billericay