Local Government and Politics
Chelmsford is at the geographic and political centre of Essex and has been the county town since 1215. It is the location of the headquarters of Essex County Council at County Hall on Market Road and the headquarters of Chelmsford City Council on Duke Street. The headquarters of Essex Police are located in the Springfield area of the city at Kingston Crescent.
Chelmsford formed part of the ancient Chelmsford hundred of Essex. It was incorporated as a municipal borough in 1888, under the provisions of the Municipal Corporations Act 1882. In 1934 the borough was enlarged by gaining 1,659 acres (6.71 km2) from Chelmsford Rural District, including parts of the parishes of Broomfield, Springfield, Widford and Writtle. The municipal borough was abolished in 1974 and its former area was combined with most of the remainder of the rural district to form the larger Borough of Chelmsford.
For the Chelmsford constituency in the House of Commons the member of Parliament is Simon Burns. In the 2010 general election, Burns gained 25,207 votes (46.2%), winning the seat with a majority over Stephen Robinson, the Liberal Democrat candidate of 5,110 (9.4%).
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