Tendring District is a local government district in north-east Essex, England. Its council is based in Clacton-on-Sea, the largest town. Other towns are Brightlingsea, Harwich, Frinton-on-Sea and Walton-on-the-Naze. The district borders the City of Colchester to the west and the Babergh District of Suffolk, across the estuary of the River Stour, to the north. To the east and south, it faces the North Sea, with the estuary of the River Colne to the south-west. The area is sometimes referred to as the Tendring Peninsula. The modern local government district was formed in 1974. The name Tendring comes from the ancient Tendring Hundred which was named after the small village of Tendring.

History

The district was formed on 1 April 1974 under the Local Government Act 1972, covering the whole area of five former districts, which were all abolished at the same time: The new district was named Tendring after the ancient Tendring Hundred, which was in turn named after the small village of Tendring at the centre of the area. The 1086 Domesday Book records the name as Tenderinga and in 1242 the Pipe Rolls mention it as Terring. The Tendring Poor Law Union, established in 1835, had covered the same area as the present district. During the English Civil War, the self-appointed Witchfinder General Matthew Hopkins carried out many trials throughout this and the surrounding area, especially in the town of Manningtree and village of Mistley on the River Stour.

Governance

Tendring District Council provides district-level services. County-level services are provided by Essex County Council. Much of the district is also covered by civil parishes, which form a third tier of local government.

Political control

The council has been under no overall control since the 2023 election, being led by a coalition of independent councillors, Labour and the Liberal Democrats. The first election to the council was held in 1973, initially operating as a shadow authority alongside the outgoing authorities until the new arrangements came into effect on 1 April 1974. Political control of the council since 1974 has been as follows:

Leadership

The leaders of the council since 2009 have been:

Composition

Since the last boundary changes in 2019 there have been 48 councillors representing 32 wards, with each ward electing one, two or three councillors. Elections are held every four years. Following the 2023 election, a by-election in January 2024 and changes of allegiance up to June 2024, the composition of the council was: Of the independent councillors, eleven sit with the Tendring First councillor as the "Tendring Independents" group, five sit as the "Independent Group", three form the "Tendring Residents' Alliance" and two do not belong to any group. The council's administration is a coalition of the Tendring Independents, the Independent Group, Labour and the Liberal Democrats. The next election is due in 2027.

Premises

The council has its main offices and meeting place at Clacton Town Hall on Station Road. The building had been built for the former Clacton Urban District Council in 1931.

Geography

The highest part of the district is a low (115'; 35 metres) ridge running west to east only 2 miles (3 km) south of the River Stour. The greater part of the district is undulating land sloping very gently to the south which is traversed by a number of streams. In the extreme east of the district is an area formerly known as the Soken which was granted special privileges in Saxon times. It is remembered in the place names Kirby-le-Soken, Thorpe-le-Soken and Walton-le-Soken (an older name for Walton-on-the-Naze).

Demography

Tendring district contains the most deprived part of England, in the Jaywick area. This area was ranked as the most deprived are in the government's indices of deprivation in 2010, 2015 and 2019 (being the most recent survey as at 2022).

Media

In terms of television, the district is served by BBC East and ITV Anglia with television signals received from the Sudbury TV transmitter. Radio stations for the area are: Local newspapers are the Colchester Gazette and Essex County Standard.

Parishes

There are 27 civil parishes in the district. The former Clacton Urban District is an unparished area. The parish councils of Brightlingsea, Frinton and Walton, Harwich, and Manningtree take the style "town council".

Arms