2010

1 January

Thurrock and Basildon College merge with Southend Campus to become South Essex College.

11 January

Basildon District Museum opens in The Discovery Centre, Barleylands Craft Village, Barleylands Road, Billericay.

18 January

The Woodsman Poacher, a sculptured carving by the late local artist Dave Chapple, is removed from St. Martin's Square, Basildon. The popular statue had been a fixture there since 1997 having been carved from an ancient oak tree felled in Langdon Hills as a result of the 1987 hurricane. Its removal to Wat Tyler Park, Pitsea by Basildon Council was seen as controversial and local artists, lead by Vin Harrop of the Our Basildon heritage project, conducted a wreath-laying ceremony in the square on 22nd January to mark its loss. Local MP, Angela Smith was also in attendance. The sculpture had suffered due to neglect and requires treatment before any decision is made on where it might stand in the future. The council announced plans for the landmark spherical clock, removed from Town Square around 2007 as part of the High Pavement escalator removal and regeneration programme, to stand in its place, which were soon realised in March.

6 March

The Royal British Legion Basildon & Laindon Branch officially open their new premises at the Triangle Hall, Langdon Hills. They were previously based at the former British Legion Hall in High Road, Laindon from 1935 to 1975 when the building was subject to a compulsory purchase order by Basildon Development Corporation and subsequently replaced with private housing.

26-28 March

A new landmark Basildon sign is unveiled. The sign, finished in white with 5ft (1.5m) high letters, was commissioned by Basildon Council and designed and installed by local company Ace Sign Group at a cost of £90,000. It stands close to the foot of an artificial hill overlooking the A127 at the A176 junction and will be lit between dusk and dawn. Its installation attracted television and media reporting which instantly drew comparison with the iconic Hollywood sign in Los Angeles, America but the local council are hopefull it will attract more businesses to the town.

30 March

The Basildon town centre clock, removed from Town Square around August/September 2007, is returned following a restoration and relocated in St. Martin's Square. The iconic 4 faced spherical clock stood for nearly 42 years in Town Square since its original unveiling in December 1965. It stands on the site formerly occupied by the Woodsman Poacher sculpture which was removed in January and put into storage at Wat Tyler Park, Pitsea to await restoration and eventual relocation somewhere within the town.

1 April

Bowers Gifford and North Benfleet parish council formed. 460 local residents had petitioned Basildon Council and following a meeting of councillors on November 26th, 2009 the plans were approved. The new parish elects seven councillors who took their seats following an election held in May, 2010. Bowers Gifford and North Benfleet parish becomes the eighth in the Basildon district.

6 May

Stephen Metcalfe (19,624) elected Conservative MP for the newly created Basildon South and Thurrock East parliamentary seat. John Baron (21,982) is re-elected to serve the new constituency of Basildon and Billericay which sees some areas of Basildon reunited with the Billericay seat for the first time since 1979. The General Election produced the first hung parliament since 1974. The Conservative party won the most seats and formed a coalition government with the support of the Liberal Democrat Party.

7 July

Former Basildon and East Thurrock member of parliament Angela Smith becomes The Right Honourable The Baroness Smith of Basildon. She represented the constituency from 1997-2010 winning three elections as the Labour Co-operative candidate and was formally introduced to the House of Lords on 08/07/2010. Her maiden speech was on 21st July, 2010. She was one of a number of life peers created by outgoing prime minister Gordon Brown in the 2010 Dissolution Honours list.

25 September

Local community radio station Gateway97.8 is launched. Previously operating as GatwayFm the station has a studio in Basildon's Eastgate Centre and broadcasts 24 hours a day to Basildon and East Thurrock after a successful application for a full time licence was granted earlier in the year. Lord Petre, Lord Lieutenant of Essex, was present at the radio's opening ceremony whose programmes can also be heard directly from their own internet website.

26 October

Basildon District Council becomes Basildon Borough Council. An official dedication service, held at St. Martin's Church, Basildon on 6th December, was attended by Lord Petre, Lord Lleutenant of Essex, who presented the Royal Charter to Basildon's first mayor Mo Larkin. Also in attendance was Basildon Council's Chief Executive Bala Mahendran and Basildon Borough Council leader Cllr Tony Ball. The council had applied for borough status, which requires the Queen's seal of approval, on 24/02/2010.

2011

28 February

New Campus Basildon, led by Seevic College in partnership with Prospects College and South Essex College open a second learning campus in Basildon town centre at Church Walk House, Church Walk. Completed in 1977, Church Walk House was once occupied by Basildon Development Corporation as a property services and rent office and more recently by Basildon Council who vacated the building in 2010.

27 March

Markhams Chase Centre in Markhams Chase, Laindon closes. The council run facility, first opened in January 1989, was sold to property developer Bellway Homes for residential development to be called Hawk Park. The proceeds of the sale were put towards the cost of the Basildon Sporting Village at Gloucester Park which opened on 30th April, 2011.

24 April

Gloucester Park swimming pool closes. The swimming pool, in Broadmayne, Basildon opened in 1968 and was run by Basildon Council. A 50 metre replacement pool, built as part of the Sporting Village at the northern end of Gloucester Park opened on Saturday 30th April, 2011. The final public session was held in the main pool between 8:00am and 3:30pm.

30 April

Basildon Sporting Village opened. The sports centre, situated at the northern end of Gloucester Park and built at a cost of £38 million, includes a 50 metre International size swimming pool (the only one in Essex), multi-purpose sports hall, 100 workstation health and fitness suite, gymnastics centre, climbing wall and crèche facilities. The grand opening event, with free admission to the public, was held over the weekend 30th April - 1st May. Students from Northlands Junior School, Pitsea were the first to enter the water at 10:28am having won the privilege in a competition. The centre was designed and built by UK construction company Morgan Sindall and operated by leisure management company Sport and Leisure Management Ltd (SLM) under the brand name Everyone Active. Plans for a "centre of sporting excellence" were first announced in 2004, ahead of the London Olympic bid, with work eventually beginning in October, 2009. Its cost, mainly funded by Basildon Council, has been the subject of critical debate as it involved closing three existing sports facilities and the proposed sell-off of parts of a number of council owned playing fields for housing including the site of the former Gloucester Park swimming pool. Two of the closed facilities; Cranes Farm Road - home to South Essex Gymnastics Club - and the Markhams Chase leisure centre were sold in 2009 to property developers Bellway Homes with outline planning permission for future housing.

4 July

St. Georges Community Housing, Basildon Council's arms length management organisation created to manage its housing stock, is wound up. All undertakings are returned to overal council control as a cost cutting measure following consultation with tenants who voted in favour of the change.

2012