News | Thurrock Council

New strategy will help art and culture flourish in the borough

23 January 2025

A new strategy sets out a vision for art and culture in the borough which will see the council, communities and arts organisations working together to celebrate Thurrock’s culture and creativity to help create opportunities for the borough’s creative talents to shine.

“Shape a future that is right for local people, or sit back and let it be done to us” – Council leader urges Thurrock to get behind “once in a lifetime opportunity”

22 January 2025

Cllr John Kent, Leader of Thurrock Council, has issued a statement setting out his thoughts on what devolution and local government reorganisation could mean for Thurrock.
He says: “There is rightly a lot of interest in the government’s White Paper on devolution and local government reorganisation, and what it will mean for Thurrock.

Milton Road Surgery engaging with patients regarding relocation

21 January 2025

Milton Road Surgery in Grays is engaging with registered patients to ask their views on the practice’s proposal to relocate the Milton Road Surgery to Oddfellows Hall Health Centre by 1 April 2025. This due to the building landlord serving notice on the practice that it must vacate by 31 March 2025.
Milton Road Surgery has identified an opportunity to relocate to nearby Oddfellows Hall Health Centre, which is 0.1 mile away on Dell Road, a 3-minute walk, where there is available space to accommodate all Milton Road Surgery staff and patient services.

Interfaith Event brings together faith leaders from across Thurrock

16 January 2025

On 8th January leaders from different faiths attended an event at the Civic Offices, Council Leader John Kent and Chief Executive Dave Smith invited the group to attend as part of the work to strengthen relationships with faith communities.
The Council recognise there is still much to do to reinforce their zero-tolerance approach to racism, reporting race hate crime and rebuilding confidence and cohesion locally. By partnering with the community in this way we open up opportunities to reach and support residents in different ways.

Good news for gardeners as Thurrock’s garden waste service goes evergreen

16 January 2025

Thurrock Council is pleased to announce that it will be extending its garden waste collections to run all year round from next year, at no extra cost to subscribers.
The service is being expanded to continue collections for six extra weeks between 21 February and 8 April.

Essex councils seek to take control for greater opportunities and prosperity

10 January 2025

Thurrock Council, Essex County Council and Southend-on-Sea City Council have agreed to work together to seek momentous change in the way local government operates in Essex.
The councils have today (10 January) written to the government to confirm that they want to proceed with devolution and the reorganisation of local councils in the area.
The letter to the Minister for Local Government confirms that the councils want to be part of the Government’s devolution priority programme.

Thurrock Council’s Cabinet approves commitment to devolution

9 January 2025

Thurrock Council’s Cabinet has approved recommendations to commit to the Government’s priority programme for devolution and as a consequence request that elections in May 2025 are postponed.
If the other top tier authorities in Essex are agreed we will write a joint letter to the Secretary of State on Friday 10 January.
The recommendations approved by Thurrock Council’s Cabinet on Tuesday 7 January are:

Thurrock Council to discuss devolution and local government reorganisation

7 January 2025

Thurrock councillors will discuss how proposals for devolution and local government re-organisation could affect the borough and wider Essex, including Essex County Council, Southend on Sea City Council, and Essex district councils.
This follows the publication of the Government's White Paper on English Devolution, on Monday 16 December 2024, which set out plans for delivering devolution more widely.

Generosity of Thurrock shines through with Give a Gift campaign

7 January 2025

Thurrock’s Give a Gift campaign, supported by Thurrock Council, helped to ensure that vulnerable children and families across the borough could wake up to a gift on Christmas Day and enjoy a festive meal.
The campaign received incredible support from residents, local businesses and council staff. As a result, hundreds of toys and gifts were donated, as well as money for gift cards and food vouchers, which were then distributed to those most in need.
Through the generous donations, the campaign delivered:

A Christmas message from Cllr John Kent, Leader of Thurrock Council

20 December 2024

As 2024 draws to a close, it’s a good time to reflect on the year just gone, as we also start to make plans for the year ahead.
Since I became Leader of the Council following the local elections in May, I’ve been really pleased with the progress the council has made on our journey to recover from the financial problems caused by past investment decisions, always with the clear aim of reducing any impact on residents, and putting the foundations in place to build a better future for Thurrock.