Baron Howard de Walden heir to the title. The principal estate owned by previous barons – Audley End House at Saffron Walden in Essex – which had been obtained by Thomas Howard, 1st Earl of Suffolk from his maternal grandfather Thomas Audley, 1st Baron Audley was separated from the title, when it was left by the 4th Baron Howard de Walden & 1st Baron Braybrooke to his relative Richard Aldworth Neville, 2nd Baron Braybrooke. Due to their substantial Central London landholdings, known as the Howard de Walden Estate, the Howard de Walden family is one of the wealthiest in Britain, with a net worth
Saffron Walden also represented. As of 2015, the mayor is Heather Asker of Residents for Uttlesford and the Acting Town Clerk is Malcolm White. The town is divided into three wards: Audley – named after Audley End House – represents the western area of Saffron Walden including Audley End; Castle takes its name from Saffron Walden Castle and includes Little Walden and the large rural area north of the town; Shire (formerly Plantation) represents the southern area of the town. The town's MP, for its eponymous Westminster constituency, was Sir Alan Haselhurst from a by-election in 1977 until his retirement at the