Tendring District Council
District council administering Clacton and the Tendring Peninsula in Essex.
Tendring's chief executive, Ian Davidson, is Acting Returning Officer for the Clacton by-election on 13 August 2026, whose record 90-centimetre, 34-candidate ballot paper will cost about four times a typical print run.
Last refreshed: 12 August 2026 · Appears in 1 active topic
What is Tendring District Council's role in the Clacton by-election?
Timeline for Tendring District Council
Clacton's ballot paper runs to 90cm
UK Local Elections 2026Background
Tendring District Council is a district authority in north-east Essex, based in Clacton-on-Sea. Its area covers the Tendring Peninsula, including Clacton, Brightlingsea, Harwich, Frinton-on-Sea and Walton-on-the-Naze.
As the local authority for the constituency, Tendring's returning officer runs the mechanics of any Clacton parliamentary contest: printing ballot papers, administering polling stations and declaring the count. Its chief executive currently doubles as Acting Returning Officer for the seat's by-elections, a role distinct from the council's ordinary business of local services and planning.
Tendring prints a record ballot
Tendring's chief executive, Ian Davidson, is Acting Returning Officer for the Clacton by-election, due on 13 August 2026. The ballot paper he must print runs to 90 centimetres and carries 34 candidates, a field the 500 pound candidacy deposit made affordable to an unusually large number of contenders.
Davidson expects the paper to cost around four times a normal by-election print run, a logistical cost the council carries regardless of how the seat is decided. The vote's outcome had not been declared as of this writing.
Where is Tendring District Council based?
What council runs the Clacton by-election?
