Uttlesford

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title: "Uttlesford" type: doc version: 1 created: 2026-02-28 author: "Wikipedia contributors" status: active scope: public tags: ["uttlesford", "non-metropolitan-districts-of-essex"] topic_path: "general/uttlesford" source: "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Uttlesford" license: "CC BY-SA 4.0" wikipedia_page_id: 0 wikipedia_revision_id: 0

::data[format=table title="Infobox settlement"]

FieldValue
timezoneGMT
utc_offset0
timezone_DSTBST
utc_offset_DST+1
settlement_typeNon-metropolitan district
subdivision_typeSovereign state
subdivision_type1Constituent country
subdivision_type2Region
subdivision_type3Non-metropolitan county
subdivision_type4Status
subdivision_type5Admin HQ
subdivision_nameUnited Kingdom
subdivision_name1England
subdivision_name4Non-metropolitan district
government_typeNon-metropolitan district council
leader_titleLeadership
leader_title1MPs
established_title1Incorporated
population_density_km2auto
population_blank1_titleEthnicity
blank1_nameONS code
blank2_nameOS grid reference
official_nameUttlesford District
image_skylineSt Mary the Virgin, Saffron Walden - geograph.org.uk - 3494445.jpg
imagesize240px
image_captionSaffron Walden, the administrative centre of the district
image_mapUttlesford UK locator map.svg
mapsize150px
map_captionUttlesford shown within Essex
subdivision_name2East of England
subdivision_name3Essex
subdivision_name5Saffron Walden
established_date11 April 1974
governing_bodyUttlesford District Council
leader_party
leader_nameAlternative - Sec. 31
leader_name1Kemi Badenoch
area_total_km2641.18
area_rank(of )
population_total
population_as_of
population_rank(of )
demographics_type1Ethnicity (2021)
demographics1_footnotes
demographics1_title1Ethnic groups
demographics_type2Religion (2021)
demographics2_footnotes
demographics2_title1Religion
blank1_info22UQ (ONS)
E07000077 (GSS)
blank2_info
::

| timezone = GMT | utc_offset = 0 | timezone_DST = BST | utc_offset_DST = +1

| settlement_type = Non-metropolitan district | subdivision_type = Sovereign state | subdivision_type1 = Constituent country | subdivision_type2 = Region | subdivision_type3 = Non-metropolitan county | subdivision_type4 = Status | subdivision_type5 = Admin HQ | subdivision_name = United Kingdom | subdivision_name1 = England | subdivision_name4 = Non-metropolitan district | government_type = Non-metropolitan district council | leader_title = Leadership | leader_title1 = MPs | established_title1 = Incorporated | population_density_km2 = auto | population_blank1_title = Ethnicity | blank1_name = ONS code | blank2_name = OS grid reference

| official_name = Uttlesford District | image_skyline = St Mary the Virgin, Saffron Walden - geograph.org.uk - 3494445.jpg | imagesize = 240px | image_alt = | image_caption = Saffron Walden, the administrative centre of the district | image_shield = | shield_size = | shield_alt = | shield_link = | image_map = Uttlesford UK locator map.svg | mapsize = 150px | map_alt = | map_caption = Uttlesford shown within Essex | subdivision_name2 = East of England | subdivision_name3 = Essex | subdivision_name5 = Saffron Walden | established_date1 = 1 April 1974 | governing_body = Uttlesford District Council | leader_party = | leader_name = Alternative - Sec. 31 | leader_name1 = Kemi Badenoch | area_total_km2 = 641.18 | area_rank = (of ) | population_total = | population_as_of = | population_rank = (of ) | demographics_type1 = Ethnicity (2021) | demographics1_footnotes = | demographics1_title1 = Ethnic groups | demographics1_info1 = | 94.5% White | 2.2% Mixed | 1.9% Asian | 0.8% Black | 0.7% other | demographics_type2 = Religion (2021) | demographics2_footnotes = | demographics2_title1 = Religion | demographics2_info1 = | 50.2% Christianity | 41.5% no religion | 7.6% other | 0.7% Islam | blank1_info = 22UQ (ONS) E07000077 (GSS) | blank2_info = Uttlesford is a local government district in Essex, England. Its council is based in the town of Saffron Walden. The district also includes the town of Great Dunmow and numerous villages, including Stansted Mountfitchet, Takeley, Elsenham, Thaxted, and Newport. The district covers a largely rural area in the north-west of Essex. London Stansted Airport lies within the district.

The neighbouring districts are Braintree, Chelmsford, Epping Forest, East Hertfordshire, North Hertfordshire and South Cambridgeshire.

History

The district was formed on 1 April 1974 under the Local Government Act 1972 as one of 14 districts within Essex. The new district covered the area of three former districts, which were all abolished at the same time:

The hundred had been named after a ford on the London Road (now the B1383, formerly the A11) at Wendens Ambo, since replaced by a bridge. The ford appears to derive its name from "Udel's ford". The stream at the ford is sometimes informally called the River Uttle as a back-formation from the name of the ford.

Hundreds gradually lost their functions to other bodies from the seventeenth century onwards, with their final administrative function ceasing in 1886. The name Uttlesford continued to have occasional use in the area between then and 1974, such as the Uttlesford Orchestra, founded in 1956, which played in and around Saffron Walden.

Governance

| name = Uttlesford District Council | term_length = Whole council elected every four years | coa_pic = | coa_caption = | coa_res = 200px | coa_alt = | logo_pic = Uttlesford District Council logo.png | logo_caption = | logo_res = 250px | logo_alt = | foundation = 1 April 1974 | house_type = Non-metropolitan district | new_session = | leader1_type = Chair | leader1 = Christian Criscione | party1 = Conservative | election1 = 22 May 2025 | leader2_type = Leader | leader2 = Petrina Lees | party2 = R4U | election2 = 7 December 2021 | leader3_type = Chief Executive | leader3 = Peter Holt | party3 = | election3 = October 2021 | seats = 39 councillors | structure1 = | structure1_res = 250px | structure1_alt = | political_groups1 = Administration (21) : R4U (21) Other parties (18) : Conservative (11) : : Independent (2) : Reform UK (1) | committees1 = | joint_committees = | voting_system1 = | last_election1 = 4 May 2023 | next_election1 = 2027 | session_room = Uttlesford Council Offices - geograph.org.uk - 7165206.jpg | session_res = | session_alt = | meeting_place = Council Offices, London Road, Saffron Walden, CB114ER | website = Uttlesford District Council provides district-level services. County-level services are provided by Essex County Council. The whole district is also covered by civil parishes, which form a third tier of local government.

Political control

The council has been controlled by local party Residents for Uttlesford (R4U) since the 2019 election.

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:

::data[format=table]

Party in controlYears
1974–1995
1995–2003
2003–2007
2007–2019
2019–present
::

Leadership

The leaders of the council since 1995 have been:

::data[format=table]

CouncillorPartyFromTo
Robert Chambers16 May 1995
title=Council minutes, 16 May 1995url=https://uttlesford.moderngov.co.uk/Data/Council/199505151500/Agenda/Document.pdfwebsite=29 May 2025}}
Robert Chambers13 May 1997May 2003
Alan Dean20 May 200319 Jul 2005
title=Council minutes, 19 July 2005url=https://uttlesford.moderngov.co.uk/Data/Council/200507191930/Agenda/Document%201.pdfwebsite=Uttlesford District Councilaccess-date=29 May 2025}}
Jim Ketteridge22 May 200715 Jul 2014
Howard Rolfe15 Jul 201421 May 2019
John Lodge21 May 20197 Dec 2021
Petrina Lees7 Dec 2021
::

Composition

Following the 2023 election, and a subsequent change of allegiance in March 2025, the composition of the council was:

::data[format=table]

PartyCouncillorsTotal39
21
11
4
2
1
::

The next election is due in 2027.

Premises

The council is based at the Council Offices on London Road in Saffron Walden. When the council was created in 1974 it inherited offices at 46 High Street, Dunmow from the Dunmow Rural District Council, at 5 Hill Street, Saffron Walden from Saffron Walden Borough Council and at 52 Debden Road, Saffron Walden from the Saffron Walden Rural District Council. In 1988 the former Saffron Walden General Hospital on London Road closed and the site was bought by the council. The original hospital building of 1865 was renovated and a large extension built to its west to become a new headquarters for the council, which opened in May 1990.

Elections

Main article: Uttlesford District Council elections

Since the last full review of boundaries in 2015 the council has comprised 39 councillors representing 22 wards, each electing one, two or three councillors. Elections are held every four years.

Parishes

The district is entirely covered by civil parishes. The parish councils for Great Dunmow and Saffron Walden are styled "town councils". The four parishes of Chickney, Lindsell, Strethall and Wicken Bonhunt have parish meetings rather than parish councils due to their small populations. The two parishes of Elmdon and Wenden Lofts share a parish council called "Elmdon, Duddenhoe End and Wenden Lofts", and the two parishes of Great Easton and Tilty also share a grouped parish council. Great Sampford and Little Sampford share a parish council called "The Sampfords". The parishes are:

Economy

Apart from considerable agriculture, retail and office premises in towns, Uttlesford District includes London Stansted Airport, which is its largest employer. For more detailed analysis of strengths and specializations in the economy see individual settlements, for instance the article: Saffron Walden. In October 2008, the airport won a 40% increase in permitted flights under the flight cap which operates in relation to the airport, from the UK government.

Aside from countryside hotels close to and aircraft maintenance vital to Stansted Airport, airlines have also used a small adjoining business park. Titan Airways has its head office in the Enterprise House in the grounds in Stansted Mountfitchet.

Several airlines, including Buzz, AirUK (later KLM uk), AB Airlines, Go Fly had its head office at the Enterprise House. and Lloyd International Airways had their head offices on the property of Stansted Airport.

Media

Television

In terms of television, the area is served by BBC East and ITV Anglia broadcasting from the Sudbury and Sandy Heath transmitters. However, some southern parts of the district such as Stansted Mountfitchet and Takeley including Stansted Airport is also served by BBC London and ITV London which broadcast from the Crystal Palace transmitter.

Radio

Radio stations for the area are:

Transport

Rail

The West Anglia Main Line passes through Uttlesford. There are stations at:

From all stations, there are regular services northbound towards Cambridge, operated by Greater Anglia. At certain times, trains continue towards Ely and King's Lynn. CrossCountry also operates northbound trains from Stansted Airport and Audley End to Cambridge, Peterborough, Leicester and Birmingham New Street.

From Stansted Airport, a southbound train is operated towards Bishop's Stortford, Harlow, Tottenham Hale and London Liverpool Street, operated by Greater Anglia under the Stansted Express brand. This train sometimes calls at Stansted Mountfitchet.

Greater Anglia operates southbound trains from other stations in the district to Bishop's Stortford, Harlow, Tottenham Hale and Liverpool Street. A southbound hourly fast-train also calls at Audley End, with additional services at peak times towards London from this station.

Road

Roads in the district are managed by Essex County Council, with some routes controlled by National Highways.

The M11 motorway between London and Cambridge passes through the district, with junctions at Stansted Airport (junction 8) and Stump Cross, near Saffron Walden (9). This places the district in the M11 corridor for innovation. Northbound from Stump Cross, the A11 forms part of the northern boundary of the district, carrying traffic to Newmarket and Norwich.

The A120 runs east-west through the district between Stansted Airport and Braintree, via Great Dunmow. This connects the district to Hertford, Colchester and Harwich.

Other roads in the district are B-class roads. This includes:

  • the B184 - from Stump Cross to the Rodings, via Saffron Walden, Thaxted and Great Dunmow
  • the B1383 - from Stump Cross to Bishop's Stortford, via Newport and Stansted Mountfitchet
  • the B1008 - from Great Dunmow to the A131 towards Chelmsford

Charity Uttlesford Community Travel provides road transport services to the residents of Uttlesford who find it difficult to access normal public transport: they support the over 60s, the disabled and those who are rurally isolated.

Air

Stansted Airport is in the district. Stansted is the fourth-busiest UK airport, with flights to over 200 destinations.

Bus & Coach

There are several bus routes which cross the district and which connect the district to neighbouring destinations, including:

Great Dunmow and Stansted Airport are on the First Essex and Arriva Shires & Essex networks. First bus 42A calls operates from both destinations to Chelmsford, and X10 and X30 connect Stansted Airport to Chelmsford, Basildon and Southend-on-Sea. Arriva bus 133 connects Stansted and Great Dunmow to Colchester.

Arriva Bus 510 links Stansted Mountfitchet and Stansted Airport to Bishop's Stortford and Harlow.

Saffron Walden is on the Stagecoach Cambridge network, served by the Citi 7, although Megarider tickets are not valid in the district.

Stansted Airport is served by National Express and Airport Bus Express coaches to destinations in London and across the UK.

Cycling

::figure[src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/9/92/Flitch_Way_at_Takeley_-geograph.org.uk-_349436.jpg" caption="Flitch Way, a bridleway following a dismantled railway which carries NCR 16 in the district."] ::

Several cycle routes cross the district, linking towns in the district to the National Cycle Network.

National Cycle Route 11 (NCR 11) crosses the district north-south, from Ickleton to Stansted Mountfitchet, running mostly on rural lanes. NCR 11 eventually links the district to the River Stort towpath in Bishop's Stortford (towards Harlow, NCR 1 and London). Northbound, the route continues towards Cambridge, Ely and Downham Market. A spur of the route leads into Saffron Walden, running for much of its length on a segregated cycle route.

National Cycle Route 16 runs east-west between Stansted Mountfitchet and Braintree, via Great Dunmow town centre. The route runs for much of its length on segregated cycle track converted from the course of the former Bishop's Stortford to Braintree railway, and it runs unbroken through the district, mostly parallel to the A120.

National Cycle Network 50 runs north-south between Takeley and Quendon in Uttlesford. The route ultimately runs between Quendon and Ulting (near Maldon) running entirely on country lanes.

Unique features

The district is the only British local authority (excluding parishes) to begin with the letter 'u'. The only other initial letter used by only one UK local authority is 'y' for York.

References

References

  1. "Uttlesford Local Authority".
  2. {{cite legislation UK. (1972)
  3. {{cite legislation UK. (1973)
  4. Samuel Lewis. (1848). "A Topographical Dictionary of England". Institute of Historical Research.
  5. [https://opendomesday.org/hundred/uttlesford/ Open Domesday: Hundred of Uttlesford.] Accessed 6 January 2022.
  6. "Meaning of Parish Names Villages in NW Essex".
  7. "History of the Society – Saffron Walden Symphony Orchestra".
  8. (27 May 2025). "Chris Criscione elected as Uttlesford District Council chair". Saffron Walden Reporter.
  9. (14 September 2021). "Peter Holt is appointed as the new district council chief executive". Saffron Walden Reporter.
  10. {{cite legislation UK. (1972)
  11. "Compositions Calculator". University of Exeter.
  12. "Council minutes, 16 May 1995".
  13. "Council minutes, 13 May 1997".
  14. (8 May 2003). "Uttlesford: Tory leader steps down". Daily Gazette / Essex County Standard.
  15. "Council minutes, 20 May 2003".
  16. "Council minutes, 19 July 2005".
  17. "Council minutes, 22 May 2007".
  18. (15 May 2014). "Leader of Uttlesford District Council to stand down from post". Dunmow Broadcast.
  19. "Council minutes, 15 July 2014".
  20. (29 May 2025). "Former council leader says his party was 'swept away on Brexit tsunami'". Dunmow Broadcast.
  21. "Council minutes, 21 May 2019".
  22. (1 December 2021). "Uttlesford District Council leader to stand down". Essex Live.
  23. "Council minutes, 7 December 2021".
  24. "Local elections 2023: live council results for England". The Guardian.
  25. "Uttlesford". Thorncliffe.
  26. "Contact us".
  27. (3 May 1990). "Bright new future for old town hospital". Saffron Walden Weekly News.
  28. {{cite legislation UK. (2014)
  29. "Town and parish councils".
  30. (2008-10-09). "London airports given green light to expand". [[The Times]].
  31. "Contact Us". Titan Airways.
  32. "[https://web.archive.org/web/20010702090939/http://www.buzzaway.com/about_us/contact_us.html Contact Us]." [[Buzz (airline). Buzz]]. Retrieved on 2 September 2009.
  33. "[https://web.archive.org/web/19961029012516/http://www.airuk.co.uk/ Home-page]."{{sic [[AirUK]]. Retrieved on 28 February 2010.
  34. "World Airline Directory." ''[[Flight International]]''. 18–24 March 1998. [http://www.flightglobal.com/pdfarchive/view/1998/1998%20-%200608.html?search=Malev 82].
  35. [https://web.archive.org/web/19980130211559/http://www.abairlines.com/company.htm An Introduction to AB Airlines AB Airlines] article 30 January 1998. Retrieved on 7 February 2011. "AB Airlines - Internet Enquiry Office Enterprise House, Stansted Airport Essex. CM24 1QW"
  36. "World Airline Directory." ''[[Flight International]]''. 27 March-2 April 2001. [http://www.flightglobal.com/pdfarchive/view/2001/2001%20-%201065.html?search=%22Go%20Fly%22 77]. ibid. however postcode: CM241SB
  37. "World Airline Directory." [[Flight International]] later "Lloyd International Airways" were established at Lloyd House, Stansted from 10 April 1969. [http://www.flightglobal.com/pdfarchive/view/1969/1969%20-%200652.html?search=%22Lloyd%20International%20Airways%22 580]. "Head Office: Lloyd House, First Avenue, Stansted Airport, Essex."
  38. (May 2004). "Full Freeview on the Sudbury (Suffolk, England) transmitter".
  39. (May 2004). "Sandy Heath (Central Bedfordshire, England) Full Freeview transmitter".
  40. (May 2004). "Crystal Palace (Greater London, England) Full Freeview transmitter".
  41. "London & the South East Rail Services".
  42. "Highways Information Map {{!}} Essex County Council".
  43. "The UK's Innovation Corridor {{!}} About".
  44. "Uttlesford Community Travel {{!}} Uttlesford Community Travel".
  45. "Facts and figures".
  46. "Essex Bus {{!}} Bus Routes and Timetables".
  47. (January 2026). "First Essex {{!}} Chelmsford Network Map".
  48. "Arriva {{!}} Our services in Bishop's Stortford & Stansted".
  49. "Cambridge out of town links".
  50. "Coach and Bus Services at London Stansted".
  51. (2013-10-21). "In Depth | UK House Prices | Uttlesford". BBC News.

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uttlesfordnon-metropolitan-districts-of-essex