News

The first ever Eastern Region Football Tournament for care experienced young people (aged 14 to 25) was a resounding success, bringing together a mix of boys and girls from across the eastern region. Held on 7th August 2025, our Thurrock team faced spirited competition from Suffolk, Cambridge, and Norfolk and proudly lifted the trophy after some fantastic matches.

Borough sporting heroes, Fatima and Margaret Whitbread, were presented with their Freedom of the Borough Awards by Cllr Sue Shinnick, the Mayor of Thurrock, and Cllr Lynn Worrall, Leader of Thurrock Council.

They had been unable to attend a ceremony in the Council Chamber last month, so the Mayor and the Leader took their awards to them this week.

Cllr Steve Liddiard officially opened a new play area in Chadwell St Mary Park on the Heath on Thursday 7 August.

It boasts a new adventure castle with slides, ladders and a climbing wall, swings, roundabout and nature explorers to help little ones identify the flowers and creepy crawlies they might find in the park. It has all been built on a soft play safety surface.

Thurrock residents find out more and share their views on changes to local government.

On Wednesday 6 August, residents joined an online webinar to learn more about the changes that are happening to councils in Greater Essex. Hosted by Councillor Lynn Worrall, Leader of Thurrock Council, and council officers, the session gave residents the chance to ask questions, raise concerns, and share their views on the future shape of local government in Greater Essex. 

Coming to the Thameside Complex, a free, interactive show that invites families to enter a fantastical future world where time is running out.

In this playful, immersive installation, inspired by National Gallery paintings, families spark their imaginations to create extraordinary changes and envision a more sustainable future. It is created by the Makers of Imaginary Worlds company.

Alongside the interactive show, HOME:Zero, is a new exhibition at the Thurrock Museum called From Here to Zero.

A 17-year-old from Tilbury has been banned from several areas across the borough and ordered to engage with support services, following a joint operation between Thurrock Council and Essex Police. 

The youth was subject to an anti-social behaviour (ASB) injunction at a court hearing on Tuesday 22 July. The injunction, which includes a power of arrest, will last for one year and aims to curb persistent offending and reduce disruption to the local community. 

Last year Thurrock Council’s Trading Standards Ports Team stopped over £47m worth of unsafe and non-compliant goods from being delivered to shops across the country.

Items seized include dangerous phone chargers, telescopic ladders which collapsed and ruptured during testing, potentially dangerous trampolines, unsafe tools including glue guns and sanders and necklaces that contained 4890 times the permitted amount of carcinogenic cadmium, as well as dangerous toys and cosmetics.

Young people in Thurrock who are not sure of their next steps into employment or education after receiving their Entry level, GCSE, A level or BTEC results in August are invited to see a Careers Adviser to discuss their next steps.

Between 10am to 1pm on Tuesday 26 August, the Inspire Hub in Grays will have career advisors available to discuss the opportunities available after receiving your results. 

Hundreds of road defects, including potholes and cracks, will be repaired on roads across the borough in the coming weeks thanks to fast, cost effective and eco-friendly jet patching technology.

Thurrock Council is once again working with Velocity. Their innovative jet patching technology quickly and conveniently repairs potholes and cracks in a fraction of the time it takes to carry out a traditional repair by blasting a mixture of stones and bitumen into potholes, helping to create a harder wearing and smoother running surface.

Thurrock Council have partnered with Impulse Leisure to offer a FREE two-month membership for residents who successfully stop smoking.

Residents can join a 12-week stop smoking programme to help them take the first step toward a healthier, smoke-free life.

The friendly, local service can help by providing 1:1 support, with an expert who will provide a personalised quit plan and give access to free stop smoking aids.