The Essex Country Council elections are on 6th May 2021. Residents for Uttlesford is pleased to be standing a full slate of candidates. There are also 3 by-elections. Find out more.
Local Elections - 6th May 2021
Time for change at Essex County Council
“Essex County Council isn’t working for Uttlesford residents. They are spending our tax money elsewhere. Year-after-year we see the same problems – 3x more potholes in 4 years, broken street lights, flooding, no school choice, and no new infrastructure. ECC refuses to accept responsibility for their multiple school bus safety issues. Now they are failing on finance. Uttlesford residents pay them over £50 million a year – they take 71 pence in every £1 of our council tax. Yet their budget includes slashing £46 million more of services next year, but they’re refusing to say where until after the election. Which of our services will they cut? If we keep electing the same people, the same cycle of failure will keep happening. R4U has fixed Saffron Walden Town Council and Uttlesford District Council, and we’re now fielding a full slate of candidates for the May 6th county elections. Enough is enough – it is time for change at County Hall.”Dan Starr (R4U Chair)
Manifesto Summary
If elected, we will hold ECC to:
- Prioritise our highways
- Make developers pay for infrastructure
- Bring back school choice
- Fixed the longstanding safety issues with school buses
- Protect our environment, including investing in sustainable transport
- Make good on their social care commitments
- Deliver superfast rural broadband
- Invest in our libraries, not cut them
- Make sure ECC and UDC are working together
- Restore our fair share of funding
Read our all of our policies in detail.
Candidates for Essex County Council
Essex County Council – Your Residents Candidates
There are 4 county divisions in Uttlesford. Here are our candidates.

Cllr Geoff Bagnall
Takeley resident and district councillor Geoff has had a career in fixing performance at financial companies, which are skills he’s used in his UDC roles as chair of the Local Plan Working Group and Investment Board.

Cllr Bianca Donald
Bianca has taught in Uttlesford schools since 2004 and knows many local parents. As an Elsenham resident, parish and district councillor, she serves on the New Village Hall and playground refurbishment committees. She’s an avid grassroots sports participant, previously netball and now rounders.

Cllr Martin Foley
Long-time Thaxted resident Martin has been a UDC councillor since 1995. He’s a visible campaigner for our rural environment against over-development and to save our local libraries from ECC cuts, even also becoming a county councillor in 2021 to hold them to account.
Candidates for other by-elections
District Council and Town Council By-Elections – Your Residents Candidates
There are by-elections in Newport, the Sampfords and Saffron Walden wards.
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What each council does
Confused about who does what? County, District and Town/Parish councils have different responsibilities.
Get a postal vote and be Covid safe
This year more people will vote form the safety of their homes. Unlike other parties, we don’t think political parties should handle your Postal Vote application forms. Instead directly apply for a postal vote from UDC. Visit their website election area: www.uttlesford.gov.uk/elections
Latest News
- Residents retain control of Uttlesford District Council and Saffron Walden Town Council (05-May-2023)
- R4U delighted as major refurbishment of playground nears completion at Anglo-American Playing Fields (19-Apr-2023)
- R4U announces Town Council candidates to continue delivering for Great Dunmow and Saffron Walden (17-Apr-2023)
- Greatest number of Residents candidates standing for May elections to keep Uttlesford free of Westminster politics (12-Apr-2023)
- Long-running flooding issue for residents solved near Audley End Station (11-Apr-2023)
- R4U councillors continue their pothole campaign against Essex County Council’s “managed decline” of our roads (03-Apr-2023)
- ECC new Book-to-Bin system ‘not being properly evidenced’ as Herts CC seeks to ban Uttlesford residents in return (20-Mar-2023)
- Conservatives caught lying in election leaflets leads to demands for Tory chairman to step down (01-Mar-2023)
- Survey results: 99% of residents oppose Essex County Council ‘Book-to-Bin’ system (24-Feb-2023)
- Don’t lose your right to vote – Take action now (18-Feb-2023)