A message for voters from Andrew Small, Acting Chief Executive and Returning Officer for Epping Forest District Council.
Hello, my name is Andrew Small, and I am the Acting Chief Executive and Returning Officer for Epping Forest District Council.
As Returning Officer, I am responsible for elections. With lots of help from a dedicated elections team, my job is to make sure all our local elections from district, town and parish to the General Election run smoothly and successfully. I thought it might be good to reflect briefly on the election process and how it affects local people.
As we approach Thursday 7 May 2026, residents across the Epping Forest district will once again have the opportunity to shape the future direction of their local community.
On this day, 18 of the 54 seats on Epping Forest District Council will be contested, as part of our regular elections by thirds cycle in which a third of councillors are elected each year over a 4-year period.
These local elections will take place alongside the Essex County Council elections, postponed from May 2025, where 7 county councillors will be elected to represent divisions within the district.
Key dates for voters
Important deadlines in the election timetable include:
- Publication of notice of election – 27 March 2026
- Nomination period – 28 March to 4pm on 9 April 2026
- Full list of candidates published – 10 April 2026
- Register to vote deadline – 11.59pm on 20 April 2026
- Postal vote application deadline – 5pm on 21 April 2026
- Proxy vote application deadline – 5pm on 28 April 2026
- Polling Day – Thursday 7 May 2026 from 7am until 10pm
Supporting residents to take part
We encourage all eligible residents to:
- Check your voter registration status
- Register to vote
- Apply for a postal vote or proxy vote if required
- Locate your designated polling station
- Engage with candidates and information available locally
If you’re not sure of any of the above more guidance is available on our website, including details on local voting processes and support for those who may need assistance on polling day.
Find out more in our elections and voting section.
Photo ID required at all polling stations
All of us now need to produce photo ID when we turn up at the Polling Station to vote. This is now a legal requirement introduced under the Elections Act 2022 and remains in place for all local and national elections.
Acceptable forms of photo ID are:
- Passport
- Driving licence (including provisional license)
- Blue badge
- Certain concessionary travel cards
- Identity card with PASS mark (Proof of Age Standards Scheme)
- Biometric Immigration document
- Defence identity card
- Certain national identity cards
Register, prepare, make your vote count
I urge every eligible resident to take part on Thursday 7 May 2026, please register, prepare and make your vote count.
County council election candidates
The full list of candidates standing for election on 7 May 2026 in the district council’s 18 wards has now been announced.
Click on the ward to view candidates standing to be county councillors on Essex County Council. On polling day, you can vote for 1 candidate from the list on your white ballot paper.
SOPN – Statement of persons nominated
NEANO – Notice of election agents’ names and offices
North Weald and Nazeing
- Tom Addenbrooke (Liberal Democrats)
- Alex Drummond (Labour Party)
- Karen McIvor (Reform UK)
- Chris Whitbread (The Conservative Party Candidate)
SOPN North Weald & Nazeing (pdf 108KB)
NEANO North Weald & Nazeing (pdf 96KB)
If you are unsure which county division you can vote in, go to the WriteToThem website and enter your postcode.
Elections on 7 May 2026
Voters in the Epping Forest district go to the polls on Thursday 7 May 2026 to vote for 7 county councillors and 18 district councillors.
Find out about the local elections on 7 May 2026
Resident doctors are taking industrial action from today, 7 April to 13 April 2026
Across Essex, NHS organisations have plans in place and are working closely together to ensure services continue safely and that disruption for patients is kept to a minimum. People should continue to access NHS services in the normal way. If you need urgent or emergency care, you should come forward as normal. If you have a planned appointment, please attend unless you are contacted directly and told otherwise.
NHS Essex knows that industrial action can be worrying for patients and families, but our priority throughout this time is to keep patients safe and make sure people get the care they need.
- Urgent and emergency care remains available
- Please attend appointments unless contacted directly
A dedicated webpage is available with up-to-date information, advice and FAQs to support patients and communities during the strike period.
Thank you for your continued support, patience and understanding.
Essex Library Service
The latest highlights from Essex Library Service, click on the links below for further information.
- Become a volunteer with the Summer Reading Challenge
- Family fun at your local library this May Half Term
- Reconnect with the Past: Discover Local and Family History with Essex Libraries
- Do you follow your local library on Facebook?
- Look. Listen. Be aware.
New waste collections launched
The new separate food and garden waste collections went live on 31 March 2026, marking an important step in improving recycling and reducing waste.
As with any significant service change, we experienced a few minor difficulties with new vehicles, new collection routes and new computer systems as well as delivery issues with some of the food waste caddies. We want to apologise for these teething issues and extend our sincere thanks and appreciation for everyone’s patience as the service settles in, and look forward to delivering continued improvements for our district.
Some properties were unfortunately missed during the first few days of the rollout. Our Terra Verde Services Ltd crews did return over the Easter weekend to complete any outstanding collections.
Food caddies
The main rollout of the kitchen and kerbside caddies has now been completed.
If your caddies haven’t arrived yet, we ask you to put your food waste in your black refuse bin for now and report a missed delivery on our online general enquiry form. Once reported, please allow up to 10 working days for the caddy to arrive.
Garden waste subscription
There is still time to sign up for the garden waste subscription service.
Permits will be sent by post. Please allow at least 12 working days for your permit sticker to arrive. The subscription is optional.
The introduction of a subscription helps ensure the service remains available to residents who value and use it most.
For those who wish not to subscribe, you can:
- Try home composting
- Pay for a private contractor with a waste carrier licence to collect it
- Take it to an Essex County Council recycling centre
When to put which bin out
Knowing which bin to put out and when, helps keep collections running smoothly.
Further information
Find out more about your food and garden waste collections