The Chairman is the civic and ceremonial head of Essex County Council. A historic list of former Essex County Council Chairmen is available online.
The Chairman’s role is to:
- preside over Full Council meetings;
- represent the County Council at civic and ceremonial events;
- promote the County;
- encourage greater partnership working;
- act as an ambassador and champion for Essex.
- uphold and promote the principles and purposes of the Essex County Council Constitution.
For the two-year period of his/her office the Chairman is politically neutral.
We also have a Vice-Chairman who acts on the Chairman’s behalf when the Chairman is unavailable.
The current Chairman of the Council is Councillor Rodney Bass.

Rodney Bass
Heybridge and Tollesbury (56)
chairman.ecc@essex.gov.uk or
cllr.rodney.bass@essex.gov.uk
The current Vice-Chairman of the Council is Councillor Kay Twitchen

Kay Twitchen OBE
Billericay and Burstead (2)
cllr.kay.twitchen@essex.gov.uk
All invitations to the Chairman, whether in the role of Chairman or as an ordinary Member of the County Council, should be sent to chairman.ecc@essex.gov.uk