News | Thurrock Council

Give a Gift wraps up in time for Christmas

15 December 2021

More than 2,000 presents have been donated for children and young people in need across the borough as part of Thurrock Council’s award winning Give a Gift initiative this year.
A further £3,360 was raised via GoFundMe and other offline donations that have also been used to purchase additional gift voucher presents for older young people in time for Christmas.

Court orders confiscation of half a million pounds for unplanned development

15 December 2021

A man who set-up a self-storage business on green belt land in Bulphan, without planning permission, has been ordered to repay £553,772 in illegal profits taken from the business.
Paul Ballard, formerly of Theydon Bois, Essex, had set the self-storage business up in 2014 using Kevin Flack – who was also given a confiscation order at the same trial – to front it. They did not comply with an enforcement notice that required them close the business and return the land to its original state.

Maintenance programme will promote biodiversity and community involvement

9 December 2021

A new public spaces strategy, involving close collaboration with local groups and communities, will improve open spaces and create a more biodiverse borough by allowing wild flowers and meadows to flourish on some open spaces.
Cllr Andrew Jefferies, Cabinet Member for Environment, Sports and Leisure, said: "This strategy puts communities and biodiversity at the heart of our maintenance plans.

Over 70 per cent of targets met at second quarter

9 December 2021

Thurrock Council has met 71% of its targets between April and September this year, Cabinet heard on Wednesday 8 December.
The report was presented by Cllr Jack Duffin, Cabinet Member for Central Services, who said: "As COVID-19 continues to impact services, we have worked to restore normality as far as possible and deliver for residents to the best of our ability.
"I am pleased that we have been able to deliver on almost three quarters of our performance targets, with 59% of targets met being higher than the previous year.

Thurrock Council continues to invest in council homes

7 December 2021

Thurrock Council continues to invest in council homes as a planning application to build 4 new properties in Chadwell St Mary is given the green light.
The plans to build the homes on Loewen Road were approved by Planning Committee on Thursday 2 December. The new 3-bedroom properties will replace a single house to offer 4 Thurrock households modern and sustainable family homes in the council's continued effort to help meet the affordable housing needs of the borough.

Proposals to update roadside memorials policy to keep roads safe

7 December 2021

A proposed revised roadside memorial policy will prevent potentially dangerous or obstructive memorials from being left on the borough's roads and pavements.
Cllr Andrew Jefferies, Cabinet Member for Environment, said: "We fully understand, appreciate and are sensitive to the fact that some families want to mourn the loss of a loved one by leaving flowers, mementos and tributes at the site but this needs to be balanced with safety concerns for other road users.

InterGen and Specsavers support #GiveAGift this Christmas

7 December 2021

Thurrock Council's Give a Gift provides everyone the opportunity to donate a present to a local child in need for whom Christmas can be a difficult time of year.
This week InterGen has kindly donated £800 of Love2Shop Vouchers for presents for some of our older children and Specsavers Lakeside has made a generous donation of toys too.

Thurrock businesses get behind Shop Safe Shop Local campaign for Small Business Saturday

3 December 2021

Nearly 30 family-run and small independent businesses are taking part in the next stage of Thurrock Council's borough-wide Shop Safe Shop Local campaign ahead of Small Business Saturday and the festive period.
To inspire residents to shop locally and safely, the council has stepped up its Shop Safe Shop Local campaign and collaborated with more businesses across Thurrock in a festive photoshoot.

Residents encouraged to have their say on the future of Thurrock

3 December 2021

Residents can have their say on how the borough grows and develops by taking part in the 'Your Place, Your Voice' consultation.
The public consultation is the latest phase in the development of the borough's Local Plan, which will shape future development in Thurrock over the plan period up to 2040.
Cllr Mark Coxshall, Cabinet Member for Regeneration and Strategic Planning, said: "With billions of pounds of investment planned for Thurrock we know that the borough has an exciting future and we want to make sure that Thurrock is a great place to live, work and play.

Safer Streets community event hosted with partners

29 November 2021

Thurrock Council and its partners hosted a Safer Streets Community Event, on Thursday 25 November, on Grays High Street to understand where and why residents don't feel safe.
The partners supporting the event included Essex Police, British Transport Police, South Essex Rape and Incest Crisis Centre (SERICC), Samaritans and Craig's Trust.
Leader of Thurrock Council and Cabinet Member for Public Protection and Anti-social Behaviour, Cllr Rob Gledhill was also present and talking to residents about how they feel about safety in their community.