
The 1980 Basildon District Council election took place on 1 May 1980 to elect members of Basildon District Council in Essex, England. This was on the same day as other local elections. One third of the council was up for election; the seats of the candidates who finished third in each ward in the all-out election of 1979. The council remained under no overall control.

The 1980 Harlow District Council election took place on 1 May 1980 to elect members of Harlow District Council in Essex, England. This was on the same day as other local elections. The Labour Party retained control of the council.

The 1982 Basildon District Council election took place on 6 May 1982 to elect members of Basildon District Council in Essex, England. This was on the same day as other local elections. One third of the council was up for election; the seats of the candidates who finished second in each ward in the all-out election of 1979. The Labour Party gained control of the council, which had previously been under no overall control.

The 1982 Harlow District Council election took place on 6 May 1982 to elect members of Harlow District Council in Essex, England. This was on the same day as other local elections. The Labour Party retained control of the council.

The 1983 Basildon District Council election took place on 5 May 1983 to elect members of Basildon District Council in Essex, England. This was on the same day as other local elections. The Labour Party retained control of the council, which it had won at the previous election in 1982.

The 1983 Harlow District Council election took place on 5 May 1983 to elect members of Harlow District Council in Essex, England. This was on the same day as other local elections. The Labour Party retained control of the council.

The 1984 Basildon District Council election took place on 3 May 1984 to elect members of Basildon District Council in Essex, England. This was on the same day as other local elections. One third of the council was up for election; the seats which were last contested in 1980. The Labour Party retained control of the council, which it had held since 1982.

The 1984 Harlow District Council election took place on 3 May 1984 to elect members of Harlow District Council in Essex, England. This was on the same day as other local elections. The Labour Party retained control of the council.

The 1986 Basildon District Council election took place on 8 May 1986 to elect members of Basildon District Council in Essex, England. This was on the same day as other local elections. One third of the council was up for election; the seats which were last contested in 1982. The Labour Party retained control of the council, which it had held since 1982.

The 1986 Harlow District Council election took place on 8 May 1986 to elect members of Harlow District Council in Essex, England. This was on the same day as other local elections. The Labour Party retained control of the council.

The 1987 Basildon District Council election took place on 7 May 1987 to elect members of Basildon District Council in Essex, England. This was on the same day as other local elections. One third of the council was up for election; the seats which were last contested in 1983. The Labour Party lost control of the council, which it had held since 1982; the council fell under no overall control.

The 1987 Harlow District Council election took place on 7 May 1987 to elect members of Harlow District Council in Essex, England. This was on the same day as other local elections. The Labour Party retained control of the council.

The 1988 Basildon District Council election took place on 5 May 1988 to elect members of Basildon District Council in Essex, England. This was on the same day as other local elections. One third of the council was up for election; the seats which were last contested in 1984. The council remained under no overall control.

The 1988 Harlow District Council election took place on 5 May 1988 to elect members of Harlow District Council in Essex, England. This was on the same day as other local elections. The Labour Party retained control of the council.

PC Brian John Bishop was a British police officer who was shot in the head by an armed robber in Frinton-on-Sea, Essex, on 22 August 1984. He died from his injuries five days later in a London hospital.

The Loughton incinerator thefts occurred between 1988 and 1992 at the Bank of England's incinerator plant at Debden in Loughton, Essex – four employees of the plant stole more than GB£600,000 in a series of regular thefts. The four participants and their spouses were arrested in 1992, with only one being prosecuted in criminal court. In a civil suit, the remaining members of the group were ordered to repay half a million pounds to the bank. The story of the case has been adapted into two feature-length films.

The White House Farm murders took place near the village of Tolleshunt D'Arcy, Essex, England, United Kingdom, during the night of 6–7 August 1985. Nevill and June Bamber were shot and killed inside their farmhouse at White House Farm along with their adopted daughter, Sheila Caffell, and Sheila's six-year-old twin sons, Daniel and Nicholas Caffell. The only surviving member of June and Nevill's immediate family was their adopted son, Jeremy Bamber, then 24 years old, who said he had been at home a few miles away when the shooting took place.