Editing Chelmsford (section)

==Local government and politics==
{{main|City of Chelmsford}}
[[File:War Memorial, Chelmsford (geograph 5488574).jpg|thumb|Chelmsford War Memorial with [[Chelmsford Civic Centre]] in the background]]
Chelmsford is at the geographic and political centre of Essex and has been the [[county town]] since 1215. The headquarters of [[Essex County Council]] is at [[County Hall, Chelmsford|County Hall]], Duke Street<ref name=essex_cc>Essex County Council – [http://www.essexcc.gov.uk/vip8/ecc/ECCWebsite/dis/vid.jsp?oid=20602 Contact us] {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100922045033/http://www.essexcc.gov.uk/vip8/ecc/ECCWebsite/dis/vid.jsp?oid=20602 |date=22 September 2010 }}. Retrieved 24 December 2007.</ref> and the headquarters of Chelmsford City Council at [[Chelmsford Civic Centre]], Duke Street.<ref name=chelm_bc>Chelmsford City Council – [http://www.chelmsford.gov.uk/contactus Contact Us] {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160502225920/http://www.chelmsford.gov.uk/contactus |date=2 May 2016 }}. Retrieved 24 December 2007.</ref> The civic centre was designed by Cordingley & McIntyre as a public library and completed in April 1935.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.chelmsfordwarmemorial.co.uk/first-world-war/history-of-civic-centre-memorial.html|title=History of Chelmsford's Civic Centre War Memorial|publisher=Chelmsford War Memorial|access-date=8 February 2021}}</ref>

The headquarters of [[Essex Police]] is located in the [[Springfield, Essex|Springfield]] area of the city at Kingston Crescent.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.essex.police.uk/contact_us/headquarters.aspx |title=Headquarters |publisher=Essex.police.uk |access-date=21 April 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120503030121/http://essex.police.uk/contact_us/headquarters.aspx |archive-date=3 May 2012 |url-status=dead }}</ref>

Chelmsford formed part of the ancient Chelmsford hundred of Essex.<ref name=vision_hundred>Vision of Britain – [http://vision.edina.ac.uk/unit_page.jsp?u_id=10094069&c_id=10001043 Chelmsford hundred] {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090211074433/http://vision.edina.ac.uk/unit_page.jsp?u_id=10094069&c_id=10001043 |date=11 February 2009 }} ([http://vision.edina.ac.uk/bound_map_page.jsp?first=true&u_id=10094069&c_id=10001043 historic map] {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090211075310/http://vision.edina.ac.uk/bound_map_page.jsp?first=true&u_id=10094069&c_id=10001043 |date=11 February 2009 }}). Retrieved 24 December 2007.</ref> It was incorporated as a municipal borough in 1888,<ref name=vision_mb>Vision of Britain – [http://vision.edina.ac.uk/relationships.jsp?u_id=10042203&c_id=10001043 Chelmsford MB] {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090211073050/http://vision.edina.ac.uk/relationships.jsp?u_id=10042203&c_id=10001043 |date=11 February 2009 }} ([http://vision.edina.ac.uk/bound_map_page.jsp?first=true&u_id=10042203&c_id=10001043 historic map] {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090211073018/http://vision.edina.ac.uk/bound_map_page.jsp?first=true&u_id=10042203&c_id=10001043 |date=11 February 2009 }}). Retrieved 24 December 2007.</ref> under the provisions of the [[Municipal Corporations Act 1882]]. In 1934 the borough was enlarged by gaining {{convert|1659|acre|ha|abbr=off}} from [[Chelmsford Rural District]], including parts of the parishes of Broomfield, Springfield, Widford and Writtle.<ref name=vision_mb/> The municipal borough and [[civil parish]].<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.ukbmd.org.uk/reg/districts/chelmsford.html|title=Chelmsford Registration District|publisher=UKBMD|accessdate=27 December 2021}}</ref> was abolished on 1 April 1974 and its former area was combined with most of the remainder of the rural district to form the larger [[City of Chelmsford|Borough of Chelmsford]] which was granted city status by Royal Charter in 2012.

For the [[Chelmsford (UK Parliament constituency)|Chelmsford]] constituency in the [[House of Commons of the United Kingdom|House of Commons]], the member of Parliament is [[Marie Goldman]]. In the [[2024 United Kingdom general election|2024 general election]], Goldman gained 20,214 votes (39.9%), winning the seat with a majority over Vicky Ford, the [[Conservative Party (UK)|Conservative]] candidate, who gained 15,461 votes (30.5%).