Southend-on-Sea

Southend-on-Sea was a local government district from 1866 to 1974 around the seaside resort of Southend-on-Sea in Essex, England. Its origin was a local board formed for the parish of St John the Baptist, which had been split off from Prittlewell for ecclesiastical purposes in 1842. It was incorporated as a municipal borough in 1892. In 1889, when Essex County Council was formed, Southend-on-Sea was within the administrative county of Essex. However, through expansion in area and population by 1914 it was split off from the administrative county as a county borough. The local authority was Southend Local Board from 1886 and Southend Corporation from 1892. The corporation changed the name of the town from Southend to Southend-on-Sea in 1893. In 1974 the county borough was reconstituted as a non-metropolitan district with the same boundaries and some powers were transferred to Essex County Council. Governance Southend adopted the Local Government Act 1858 and a local board was established in 1866. In 1875 it became an urban sanitary district. The local board gained powers in 1875 to purchase Southend Pier and the legal right to change the name of the local board and therefore the town. It was incorporated as a municipal borough in 1892. The name was changed from Southend to Southend-on-Sea in 1893. It gained the status of county borough in 1914, which ended the jurisdiction of Essex County Council in Southend. Southend-on-Sea Borough Constabulary was created on 1 April 1914, split off from Essex Constabulary. Expansion The local government district originally consisted of the South End of the parish of Prittlewell. This became a separate parish of St John the Baptist for ecclesiastical purposes in 1842. In 1877 the local government district was expanded to include all of the parish of Prittlewell, including the settlements of Westcliff and Chalkwell. The parish of Southchurch was absorbed by the borough of Southend-on-Sea on 1 November 1897.