Guidance, resources and key documents

Key Documents

• Constitution
• Code of Governance
• Code of Recommended Practice on Local Authority Publicity
• ECC Plans and Strategies, including Everyone's Essex
• ECC intranet (internal use and only accessible from ECC devices)
• ECC Public Website
• Member Enquiries Guide
• Member Poster
• Pre Election Period Guidance issued February 2026
• Privacy Notice for ECC Councillors
• Privacy and data protection
• Petitions Policy
• Written Questions for Councillors: Guidance and Form

Online forms

• Member Enquiries Form (only accessible when logged into an ECC account)
• Member Development Nomination Form (for training and conferences with a total cost of under £500)
• Approval for Member attendance at events or visits (this is for travel abroad, individual costs exceeding £500 or where there are aggregate costs for more than one member of £1,000)
• Register of Member Interests Disclosure Form (including changing an existing form)
• Registration of Gifts and Hospitality offered to or received by Members
• Call-in online form
• Locality Fund Proposal Form
• Local Community Fund Proposal Form

Consultations

• Consultations in Essex
• Planning consultations
• Public Consultation on Recycling Centre Bookings (2024)

News

• News and Social Media

Guidance and Resources

Accessibility and Health

• Accessibility Statement for Members Portal
• Safety and Risk

Care

• Adult Social Care Guidance
• Children in Care Council (and Video Gallery)
• Essex Wellbeing Service

Committees

• Committee Profiles

County Hall and ECC Properties

• Accessing Property Information
• County Hall Floor Plans
• Holding surgeries on ECC premises

Equality and Diversity

• Equality and Diversity - ECC
• Public Sector Equality Duty - Equality and Human Rights Commission
• Equalities Hub - LGA

Funds

• Locality Funds 2025-2026
• Local Community Fund 2025-2026
• Essex Community Initiatives Fund 2024-2025 (CIF)

Highways

• Highways Issues and Member Initiative homepage

IT

• IT and Digital (including my Oracle)

Scrutiny

• Scrutiny Portal Page

Other Guidance and Resources

• Acronyms List
• Appointments to Essex County Council Outside Bodies: The role of Councillors
• Boundary Review
• Buy With Confidence Briefing Note (and Leaflet)
• Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) check policy adopted by full Council
• Devolution and Reorganisation
• Division and District profiles
• Emergency Planning
• Local Authority Podcast
• LGA First Magazine for Councillors (and article on the Jo Cox Foundation)
• LGA good practice guidance on member-officer relations protocols.
• Local Government Resources
• Member Handbook July 2025
• Memorial Wreath Card
• Political Skills Framework: a Councillor's Toolkit
• Registration of interests - quick guide and guidance on shareholdings and investments
• Related Party Guidance
• Social Media Policy
• Vita, our Employee Assistance Programme
• Young Essex Assembly
• Whistle-blowing policy

If you have any issues accessing any of the above documents, or require additional support in accessing them, please contact the Democracy Team at:

democratic.services@essex.gov.uk