News

When I became Leader of Thurrock Council, I made a commitment to restore civic pride across our borough.

For me, civic pride is about much more than how a place looks. It is about how people feel about where they live. It is about creating neighbourhoods that are well cared for, public spaces that are welcoming, and communities where people feel connected, valued and proud to call home.

Cllr Richard Bingley, Leader of Thurrock Council, has written to Jo White MP, Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for the Home Office, to request that local authorities receive funding for the financial support provided to families with No Recourse to Public Funds.

Last week, the High Court again dismissed a judicial review of the Council’s Selective Licensing Scheme and, after a hearing, ruled that the Council’s scheme was lawful. 

The claimant had sought an oral hearing to challenge the High Court’s previous written decision to dismiss the claim on 13 March 2026. The decision in March allowed the Council to start to implement the Scheme.

The court has also ordered the claimant to pay the Council £7,500 in costs, which can now be recovered and used to fund council services.

Following a motion at Full Council, Thurrock Council has rescinded the Climate Emergency it declared in 2019 and dropped its commitment to achieving net zero by 2030.

Cllr George Monk, who put forward the motion, said: “It was high time that the council properly recognised that it was impossible for it to achieve net zero in less than four years.

Thurrock Council’s Cabinet has approved plans that will help recover pride in our borough, and ensure local communities across the borough benefit from £1.5m of external capital funding.

The Pride in Place Impact Fund is a Government initiative to help make small improvements to local areas, based on what local people want to see. This fund is separate from the £20m Pride in Place funding allocated to Tilbury.

The results of the by-elections held in Grays Town Ward and Grays Riverside Ward have now been declared: 

Following a competitive recruitment process, Craig Austin has been appointed as the independent Chair of the Tilbury Pride in Place Neighbourhood Board.

In March it was announced that Tilbury would receive £20 million of funding from the Government to empower local people to shape the future of their neighbourhood. The Chair, and the Board once appointed, will work with the Tilbury community to develop a Pride in Place Plan setting out how £2m per year will be spent over the course of a decade.

This week has seen another change at the top of national politics, with the appointment of a new Prime Minister – the seventh in the last decade. While events in Westminster can sometimes feel a long way from everyday life in Thurrock, the decisions made by Government have a direct impact on our communities, our economy and the services residents rely on.