Braintree, including Bocking, is the largest of the towns in the District and has a population of approximately 140,000.  Local facilities include bus and train stations, doctors’ surgeries, schools, sports and swimming facilities, many shops, including a designer village on the outskirts of the town at Freeport and a twice weekly market.

The areas of Braintree and Bocking are ‘unparished’ and are represented by Braintree District Council.  For further information on the town and details of Wards, Ward Councillors and statistics from the Office of National Statistics please look at the ‘Useful Links’ column on this page.