Loughton was an Urban District Council from 1900 to 1933, based at a newly-constructed Town Hall next to the Lopping Hall. It then became part of Chigwell Urban District until 1974, when Epping Forest District Council was created. Loughton Town Council was established in 1996. The Town Council consists of 22 councillors representing 7 wards, elected for a four-year term. The Town Council started off in temporary accommodation, but in 2000 moved to offices on the newly constructed Buckingham Court in Rectory Lane. In 2017, the council moved to the newly-redesignated Loughton Library and Town Hall in the town centre.