The new new Braintree District Council created by the 1972 Act, combined three Urban Districts - Braintree and Bocking, Witham and Halstead, together with the two surrounding Rural Districts of Braintree and Halstead. It created an Urban-Rural balance of 53% to 47%, with Urban Councils with politically based elections with a Rural area where the tradition was for Independent councillors, often returned unopposed. The new district had parts of two Parliamentary constituencies within its boundaries, with the North of the district within the Saffron Walden constituency, with the rest within Maldon. Fig. 1 - Constituencies 1955 - 1970 Between 1955 and 1970, the Saffron Walden seat had been a safe Conservative constituency with R.A.B. Butler as MP until his death in 1965. The Maldon seat was also in Conservative hands throughout the period, although it had been a gain from Labour in 1955. Even in 1966 the Tories held the seat with a majority of 500. The presence of both Br...
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