News

Council house building over the summer

26 March 2026
Work will begin over the next few months transforming disused garage sites at two locations in Thurrock into 13 new affordable council homes.
The new homes, at Chadwell St Mary and Stanford Le Hope, are part of the Council’s commitment to provide new council homes in our communities.
The project in Chadwell St Mary will see a disused garage site on Vigerons Way make way for seven modern, high-quality council homes. Building contractor TJ Evers has been appointed by the council to carry out the work.

Selective Licensing Scheme continues following court ruling to deny second inunction

25 March 2026
Thurrock Council continues to implement its selective licensing scheme after a judge refused the claimant’s second application for an interim injunction to suspend the scheme in clear terms.
Earlier this month a judge already declined permission for a Judicial Review brought by the claimant. The claimant has sought an oral review of that decision but also renewed her application for an injunction to suspend the scheme pending the court hearing.

Thurrock Council’s Selective Licensing Scheme resumes after High Court ruling

13 March 2026
Thurrock Council has confirmed that its Selective Licensing Scheme will resume after a High Court Judge refused permission for a Judicial Review to challenge the scheme. 
The Judicial Review was put forward to stop the council implementing the Selective Licensing Scheme, which has been designed to improve housing standards in the private rented sector and ensure safer, better-quality housing for residents.  
The Court has now declined permission for the Judicial Review to proceed, as the council was not in the wrong, allowing the scheme to continue as planned. 

More Buses, More Often: Boost to services on key routes

11 February 2026
Residents will soon benefit from more frequent and more convenient bus services, as the Council expands operations on two of the borough’s busiest routes, delivering extra evening and weekend journeys.
From Sunday 22 February, the popular 100 service (Lakeside to Basildon, via Grays, Stanford‑le‑Hope and Corringham) will run every 30 minutes during evenings from Monday to Saturday. Sunday evenings will also see the introduction of a new hourly service, giving residents more flexibility to travel later in the day.

Have Your Say: Stanford-le-Hope area improvements

19 January 2026
Residents and businesses are invited to take part in a public consultation on proposed transport improvements to Stanford-le-Hope, aimed at improving safety, accessibility and connections for pedestrians, cyclists and public transport users in the town centre. 
Funding has been secured from recent local developments to fund these proposed improvements. The aim is to create a safer environment for pedestrians and cyclists and connections between Stanford-le-Hope Station and the High Street. 
The consultation will run from 16 January to 1 March. 

Free creative arts programme designed by and for Thurrock residents returns

13 January 2026
A two-week programme of exciting, free creative activities is returning to Thurrock for the third year running between Monday 9 February and Sunday 22 February. 
Organised by Start Thurrock, each activity, workshop or show in the Green Light programme has been booked as a direct response to feedback from residents on the types of fun activities they would like access to locally. 

Thurrock's Care Leavers enjoy a community Christmas celebration

8 January 2026
Care leavers in Thurrock were able to celebrate Christmas Day at the new Stanford-le-Hope Aftercare Hub and Children’s Centre, thanks to the incredible generosity of local businesses, charities, and volunteers. 
The event, which aimed to make sure no young person spent Christmas alone, brought together 20 care leavers to enjoy the festive celebration with volunteers from Thurrock Council.  

Kynoch Court residents show their generosity

1 October 2025
More than £1,000 was raised for Macmillan Cancer Support thanks to a fundraiser hosted by sheltered housing residents in Stanford-le-Hope.
Residents at Kynoch Court worked hard to organise the fundraising evening, and thanks to the incredible generosity of residents, friends and family, £1,100 was raised to support the vital work of the cancer care charity.
The fundraising efforts culminated with Cllr Sue Shinnick, Mayor of Thurrock, paying a visit to personally thank the residents. During the visit, she was presented with a cheque of the money raised.

Thurrock Council introduces new Selective Licensing Scheme to improve privately rented homes in the borough

19 September 2025
A new scheme has been introduced to help improve the quality of privately rented homes and reduced risk of unsafe living conditions for private tenants.
Selective Licensing, which will go live in January 2026, will require all landlords in the designated wards below to obtain a licence to let their properties, excluding Houses in Multiple Occupation (HMOs) that are already covered by the existing mandatory or additional licensing schemes.
The decision to go ahead with this new scheme has been made to raise housing standards and support better tenancy management.

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