St. Teresa's Church Hall at High Road, Laindon completed. The hall, which was built on the site of the former doctors surgery annexe and residential house called Hiawatha, was paid for in part by various fund raising activities organised by the catholic church of the same name in Langdon Hills. Amongst its uses was as a meeting place for the Laindon Women's Co-operative Guild. The club, formed around 1940, relocated here the same year from the British Legion Hall. In the early 1990s a new catholic church hall was built at Florence Way, Langdon Hills. In 1995 Basildon Community Housing Association (BCHA) applied for a change of use which was successful and the following year opened an area neighbourhood office. The hall was then renamed Phil Morris House, after the Association's former Chairman, and used by BCHA - later becoming Swan Housing - until around 2007. The building then fell out of use, and following a successful planning application was demolished in 2012 for a new Swan Housing residential development called Century Place.

The Painted Wagon public house opened. This new public house was built as part of the larger Great Oaks House development that also included the A.B.C. cinema and Tesco supermarket. It was later renamed the Jolly Wagonner before a further name change to The Oasis through to eventual closure around 1999. The building then remained unoccupied for around 17 years when it became a Roadhouse diner from May 2016 to July 2017. Following that businesses closure the building has remained empty ever since.

February

Basildon Council took delivery of a new civic car. The car, a 1971 Ford Grosvenor in black, featured a stretched body with seating for seven. It was based on the twin headlight Ford Zodiac Mark IV and converted by notable coachbuilders Coleman Milne at their Castle Works premises at Shady Lane, Bromley Cross, Bolton, Lancashire, at a cost of almost £3,000. The limousine, registration mark XKK 700J, was first registered in Kent on 9th February. It was later sold and although its details can still be seen on the DVLA database showing its last recorded keeper was in 1983 and that it's been untaxed since October 31st 1984, it's now most unlikely to still exist today.

1st February

Mr. Arthur Oswald Kelting succeeds Mr. William Balch as Chairman of Basildon Development Corporation.

25th April

Population Census for Basildon district; 80,252.

June

Properties on the Laindon 5 housing development off Laindon Link and Hatterill completed. The new 1364 homes for rent estate comprised of 2, 3, and 4 bedroomed houses and flats, was built on a 79¼ acre site (32.1 hectares) by Basildon Development Corporation. Work on the construction began in October 1968 on land cleared of residential homes, some of which had stood in the former streets Cumberland Road, Norwich Road, Hertford Road, Preston Road, Buckingham Road and Diss Road. The properties were designed by Basildon Development Corporation's own Department of Architecture and Planning headed by Douglas Galloway and constructed by three different contractors. These being: Thomas Bates & Son Ltd, C.S. Wiggins & Sons Ltd. and Gilbert Ash (South Eastern) Ltd. The properties comprise Laindon Link, Brendon, Handley Green, Newberry Side, Mellow Purgess and Somercotes. An old peoples warden controlled sheltered housing scheme (Somercotes Court) along with a small parade of shops was completed in 1973. The estate was later renamed 5 Links though for years was dubbed 'Alcatraz', after the former American island prison, due to its myriad of high walls and dark alley ways. In the mid 1990s a long term regeneration of the estate began and some areas have been demolished and gradually replaced with new housing.

5th September

A.B.C. (Associated British Cinemas) cinema in North Gunnels, Basildon opens. Love Story (ABC 1) and On the Buses (ABC 2) are the first films shown at the new two screen complex. ABC 1, with seating for 644 and larger panoramic screen, was also used for the popular ABC Minors 'Saturday morning picture shows' which ran from 09/10/1971 at 10am throughout the 1970s and early 1980s. The smaller ABC 2 seated 455. Opening prices were: Adults, 55p and 45p, Children, 30p and 25p. Two members of the 'On the Buses' cast, Doris Hare and Anna Karen, were special guests at the opening. Another feature of the building is the concourse restaurant and coffee lounge which was later converted to a third 92 seat cinema utilising a new video system of projection which opened on 5th July, 1979. In 1981 the cinema extended its screening programme to include an over 18s Friday or Saturday late night show from 11:00pm. Sometime between August and December 1986 it became Cannon when owners EMI sold out to the Cannon group in a takeover involving all of ABC's operational cinemas. This lasted until 1994 by which time Cannon, who were then part of MGM Cinemas, opted to close the cinema citing competition from Thurrock's new Lakeside Warner Brothers and UCI multiplexes. Later in 1994 cinema chain Robins took over but competition from a new UCI 12 screen cinema opened at the Festival Leisure Park in 1998 proved too great and the cinema closed for good in December 1999.

13th September

Basildon College of Further Education opens in Nether Mayne. The college, constructed on a 20 acre site, opened ahead of schedule and the first term, which commenced on the 13th September, featured a wealth of courses including a novices 'computers in business' lesson. In August 2001 following a merger with Thurrock it was renamed Thurrock and Basildon College and following another merger, this time with Southend Campus, became South Essex College from 1st January, 2010.

15th September

Laindon Health Centre officially opened by Alfred Morris Esq., M.P. The Labour M.P. for Manchester Wythenshawe was joined in the opening ceremony by Urban District Council Chairman, Joe Morgan; Chairman of the Health and Welfare Committee, Councillor John Costello and Town Manager David H. Taylor. Prior to opening, a small surgery had operated at a house called Montgomery in New Century Road and at the Laindon Clinic in Florence Road, where services were transferred to the new health centre. Basildon Council architects Kenneth S. Cotton and Adrian Neaves were responsible for the design, which cost more than £180,000 to build and commenced in March 1970. Thomas Bates & Son Ltd of Church Road, Harold Wood were the main building contractors used in its construction. The facilities, which are on two levels, came into use during August and include over 10 consulting rooms.

11th October

Pitsea railway station refurbishment becomes operational. Among the new British Rail funded changes is a modern single story entrance and ticket office, built at a cost of around £20,000, which replaced the former station house and booking hall buildings that dated back to the 1800s.

5th November

Basildon Round Table hold their seventh annual Firework Fiesta and bonfire at Laindon Link, Lee Chapel North. A 15ft guy atop the bonfire was lit by Council Chairman Joe Morgan and additional entertainment was provided by the Basildon Drum & Trumpet Corp. £200 of fireworks were let off at what turned out to be the final fiesta at Laindon Link as the field was sold off as a site for the future Parklands housing estate and Most Holy Trinity catholic church and hall. Admission was 10p for adults and 5p for children.

10th November

Marks & Spencer (M & S) opens a new retail store at No. 1 Town Square. This major British chain store retailer selling clothes and food took occupation of the second largest shop unit in the Development Corporation's new Block S project, built on the remaining unused land abounding Town Square. With over 2000 sq ft. of floor space spread over three floors the building dominates the western end of Town Square. The upper third floor was later extended to the full length of the building. In the early 2000s the first floor was closed to customers, though later reopened along with a first floor restaurant with a large window overlooking Town Square.

23rd November

Tesco's supermarket in Great Oaks, Basildon opens. Tesco's open a brand new store below the recently opened ABC cinema complex. The supermarket chain already had a presence in the town with shops at East Walk and Market Pavement. Disc Jockey & T.V. host David Jacobs carried out the opening ceremony. Tesco later vacated the building following the success of a new Pitsea store opened in 1978. In 1984 after a period of being empty the shop was divided up into separate retail units and given the name Liberty Hall in recognition of a previous building that once stood nearby prior to the new towns' conception. Later in the 1990s QD (Quality Discounts) store took over the building when the Liberty Hall enterprise closed down.

27th December

The council run Arts Centre (later Towngate Theatre) in Basildon Town Centre stages its first Christmas Pantomime. The pantomime, Jack and the Beanstalk, was written by Alan Gale and produced by Clifford Hensley. It ran until Saturday 8th January and included among its cast Barry Wade and Brownie Dene, who played the part of Jack. The Christmas pantomime became an annual event with many famous actors and celebrities like Charles Hawtrey, Joe 'Mr. Piano' Henderson, George Layton and Alan Browning appearing in future productions.