Tendring District


Tendring is a local government district in north east Essex, England. It extends from the River Stour in the north, to the coast and the River Colne in the south, with the coast to the east and the town of Colchester to the west. Its council is based in Clacton-on-Sea. Towns in the district include Frinton-on-Sea, Walton-on-the-Naze, Brightlingsea and Harwich. Large villages in the district include St Osyth and Great Bentley.
Sometimes referred to as the "Tendring Peninsula", the district was formed on 1 April 1974 by a merger of the borough of Harwich with Brightlingsea, Clacton and Frinton and Walton urban districts, and Tendring Rural District. The name Tendring comes from the ancient Tendring Hundred which is named after the small Tendring village at the centre of the area. The Tendring Poor Law Union 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.
The largest town in the Tendring district is Clacton-on-Sea, with a population of 53,000.

Etymology

Theories about the origin of its name:
The highest part of the district is a low ridge running west to east only 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.

Politics and local governance

Tendring District Council was in a state of No Overall Control after the Local Elections in 2015 but after a number of defections, primarily from UKIP to the Conservatives, and several by-elections the Conservatives are the largest political group on the Council with 32 out of the 60 available seats. The UK Independence Party has 8 seats, the Labour Party has 4 seats, the Holland-on-Sea Residents Association has 3 seats, the Non-Aligned Group has 3 seats, 2 Councillors are not in any political group, the Liberal Democrats have 1 seat, Tendring First has 1 seat, and 6 independents were also elected.
Before the 2015 elections, the council was controlled by the Conservatives who gained control of the authority in the 2011 local elections, holding 33 out of the 60 available seats. Tendring returns eight County Councillors to Essex County Council and at the 2013 local elections 4 seats were held by Conservatives, 2 won by UKIP, 1 won by Labour and 1 won by a Tendring First independent.
Tendring's Golf Green ward contains the most deprived area in England and Wales, and is currently held by two Conservative Councillors who defected from UKIP.
As of 26 January 2018 the current configuration of political groups on the Council is shown below. The Council voted in 2017 that Members who are not in a political group will not be allocated to Council committees and that is the case with the two Members shown as 'No Group'.

Parishes

The district is divided into the following parishes. "From" indicates older parishes which have now been merged.
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.