Thurrock Council

Thurrock Council is the local authority for the borough of Thurrock in the ceremonial county of Essex, England. Thurrock is a unitary authority, having the powers and functions of a county council and district council combined. It is a member of the East of England Local Government Association. The council is based in Grays.

Thurrock Borough Council
Logo
Type
Type
Leadership
Sue Little,
Conservative
since 24 May 2023
Andrew Jefferies,
Conservative
since 24 May 2023[1]
Dave Smith
since 21 March 2023[2]
Structure
Seats49 councillors[3]
Political groups
Administration (26)
  Conservative (26)
Other parties (23)
  Labour (19)
  Independent (3)
  Thurrock Independent (1)
Length of term
Four years
Elections
First past the post (elected in thirds)
Last election
4 May 2023
Next election
2024
Motto
By Thames to all the peoples of the world[4]
Meeting place
Civic Offices, New Road, Grays, RM17 6SL
Website
www.thurrock.gov.uk
Constitution
Constitution

In 2022 the council's level of debt arising from failed investments led to it issuing a Section 114 notice, being the local authority equivalent of declaring bankruptcy. The government directed neighbouring Essex County Council to take over Thurrock's finances and also appointed a new managing director for the council.

History

Thurrock Urban District had been created in 1936 from the former urban districts of Grays Thurrock, Purfleet and Tilbury and the Orsett Rural District.[5]

Urban districts were abolished in 1974 under the Local Government Act 1972. A new non-metropolitan district called Thurrock was created covering almost the same area as the former Thurrock Urban District, with just a minor change on the border with Basildon to place the whole designated area for Basildon new town in that district.[6][7] The reformed Thurrock district was given borough status at the same time, allowing the council to call itself "Thurrock Borough Council" and letting the chair of the council the title of mayor.[8]

Thurrock was made a unitary authority on 1 April 1998, taking over county-level services in the area from Essex County Council. Since 1998 the council has generally styled itself "Thurrock Council" rather than "Thurrock Borough Council".[9]

The planning function for large developments was exercised by the Thurrock Thames Gateway Development Corporation in the whole of the borough from 2003 to 2012.[10][11]

Financial difficulties

In 2020, it emerged that the council had borrowed £420 million to buy into the solar power market, eventually rising to a total investment of £655 million.[12] One of the companies in which the council had invested, Toucan Energy, went into administration on 11 November 2022.[13][14] Businessman Liam Kavanagh is accused of cheating the council out of as much as £130 million in relation to the deals.[15] Thurrock also made a £94 million loan to the Just Loans Group plc, a business lender which went bankrupt in June 2022.[16]

On 2 September 2022, the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities intervened in the running of Thurrock Council, passing financial control of the council to Essex County Council, as well as ordering a Best Value Inspection, in response to concerns about the council's level of financial risk and debt.[17] The council's financial exposure arises from loans of more than a billion pounds used to fund commercial investments. Council leader Rob Gledhill resigned on 2 September 2022, the day the government intervention was announced.[18]

On 29 November 2022, Thurrock Council admitted that in that financial year it had a near £500 million budget deficit, mostly from failed investments. It asked for emergency financial assistance from the government.[16][19] On 19 December 2022 the council issued a Section 114 notice barring any new expenditure, being the local authority equivalent of declaring bankruptcy.[20][21] In March 2023 the government appointed a new managing director for the council, Dave Smith.[22]

Governance

As a unitary authority, Thurrock Council provides all local government services, albeit with oversight of the council's finances from Essex County Council since the government intervention in September 2022. There are no civil parishes in the borough, which is an unparished area.[23]

Political control

The council has been under Conservative control since the 2021 election.[24]

The first election to the council was held in 1973, initially operating as a shadow authority before coming into its powers on 1 April 1974. Since 1974 political control of the council has been held by the following parties:[25][26]

Non-metropolitan district

Party in controlYears
Labour1974–1979
No overall control1979–1982
Labour1982–1998

Unitary authority

Party in controlYears
Labour1998–2004
Conservative2004–2007
No overall control2007–2012
Labour2012–2014
No overall control2014–2021
Conservative2021–present

Leadership

The role of Mayor of Thurrock is largely ceremonial, usually being held by a different councillor each year. Political leadership is instead provided by the leader of the council. The leaders since 1989 have been:[27]

CouncillorPartyFromTo
Jimmy Aberdein[28] Labour19891995
Andy Smith[29][30] Labour199530 Jun 2004
Anne Cheale Conservative30 Jun 200424 May 2006
Terry Hipsey Conservative24 May 200625 Mar 2009
Garry Hague Conservative25 Mar 200919 May 2010
John Kent Labour19 May 201025 May 2016
Rob Gledhill[31] Conservative25 May 20162 Sep 2022
Mark Coxshall Conservative13 Oct 20227 May 2023
Andrew Jefferies Conservative24 May 2023

Composition

Following the 2023 election, the composition of the council was:[32]

Party Councillors
Conservative 26
Labour 19
Independent 3
Thurrock Ind. 1
Total 49

The next election is due in 2024.

Premises
Civic Offices, New Road, Grays: The 1986 original building to the right of the entrance, 1992 central block in the middle and 2022 block to the far left.

The council is based at the Civic Offices on New Road in Grays.[33] When the council was created in 1974 it used the former offices of the Thurrock Urban District Council in a converted house called Farley and adjoining buildings around the junction of Whitehall Lane and Palmers Avenue in Grays.[34] In 1986 the council built itself a new headquarters at the corner of New Road and Derby Bridge Road in the centre of Grays.[35] The building has subsequently been extended westward along New Road with a large central block added in 1992 and a new wing at the corner of New Road and High Street completed in 2022.[36][37]

Elections
See also: Thurrock Council elections

Since the last boundary changes in 2004, the council has comprised 49 councillors representing 20 wards, with each ward electing two or three councillors. Elections are held three years out of every four, electing a third of the council each time for a four-year term. In the fourth year of the cycle there is no election.[38]

Wards

The wards, with their numbers on the map below, are:[38][39]

  • Aveley and Uplands (1)
  • Belhus (3)
  • Chadwell St Mary (14)
  • Chafford and North Stifford (6)
  • Corringham and Fobbing (17)
  • East Tilbury (15)
  • Grays Riverside (7)
  • Grays Thurrock (8)
  • Little Thurrock Blackshots (10)
  • Little Thurrock Rectory (11)
  • Ockendon (2)
  • Orsett (20)
  • South Chafford (5)
  • Stanford East and Corringham Town (18)
  • Stanford-le-Hope West (16)
  • Stifford Clays (9)
  • The Homesteads (19)
  • Tilbury Riverside and Thurrock Park (12)
  • Tilbury St Chads (13)
  • West Thurrock and South Stifford (4)

Arms
Coat of arms of Thurrock Council
Notes
Shield and crest originally granted to Thurrock Urban District Council on 17 January 1957. Supporters granted on 14 May 1976.
Crest
On a wreath of the colours an Albatross rising Proper from a bollard Sable roped Or.
Escutcheon
Argent on a fess wavy between in chief a ship's screw and a wheel Azure and in base a Celtic cross also Azure charged in the centre with a Tudor rose Proper three lymphads Argent.
Supporters
On the dexter a sea-lion guardant Or gutty Sable the tail Vert gutty Or and Argent holding in the dexter claw a block Or tackle Sable and on the sinister a knight in armour tempus 1370 resting the exterior hand on the hilt of his sheathed sword a hound at his feet all Proper upon a compartment per pale water barry wavy Argent and Azure and a representation of a stone quay Proper.
Motto
Secundum Tamesim Quovis Gentium (By The Thames To All The Peoples Of The World).[40]

Mayors

The mayors since 1982 have included:

CouncillorPartyFromTo
Bob Wood[41][42] Labour19821983
Sid Josling[43] Labour19841985
Arthur Clarke[44] Labour19851986
George Watts[45] Labour19881989
John Dunn[46] Labour19891990
Ken Evans[47] Labour19901991
Kitty Price[48] Labour19911992
Pat Rice[49] Labour19931994
Barry Palmer[50] Labour19941995
Reg Lee[51] Labour19951996
Sid Josling[43] Labour19961997
Arthur Bennett[52] Labour19971998
Albert Vandersteen[53] Labour19981999
Carl Morris[54][55] Labour19992000
Julian Norris[56][57] Labour20002001
Barrie Lawrence[56][55] Labour20012002
Gordon Barton[58][55] Labour20022003
Gerard Rice[49][59] Labour20032004
Ian Harrison[60][61] Conservative20042005
Colin Churchman[58][62] Conservative20052006
Joy Redsell[63][64] Conservative20062007
Diane Revell[65] Conservative20072008
John Everett[66] Conservative20082009
Maureen Pearce[67] Conservative20092010
Anne Cheale[68]Thurrock Concerned Conservative20102011
Yash Gupta[69][70] Labour20112013
Tony Fish[71] Labour20132014
Steve Liddiard[72] Labour20142015
Sue Gray[73][74] Labour20152016
Cathy Kent[75][76] Labour20162017
Tunde Ojetola[77] Conservative20172018
Barbara Rice[78] Labour20182019
Terry Piccolo[79] Conservative20192021
Sue Shinnick[80][81] Labour20212022
James Halden[82] Conservative20222023
Sue Little Conservative2023

See also

Thurrock, the area with borough status which this council administers.

References
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