Thurrock Borough Council | |
---|---|
Type | |
Type | |
Leadership | |
Dave Smith since 21 March 2023 [2] | |
Structure | |
Seats | 49 councillors [3] |
Political groups |
|
Length of term | Four years |
Elections | |
First past the post | |
Last election | 2 May 2024 |
Next election | 1 May 2025 |
Motto | |
By Thames to all the peoples of the world [4] | |
Meeting place | |
Thurrock Town Hall, New Road, Grays, RM17 6SL | |
Website | |
www | |
Constitution | |
Constitution |
Thurrock Council is the local authority for the borough of Thurrock in the ceremonial county of Essex, England. Since 1998 the council has been a unitary authority, being a district council which also performs the functions of a county council. It is a member of the East of England Local Government Association. The council is based in Grays.
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.
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]
The council was made a unitary authority on 1 April 1998, taking over county-level services in the area from Essex County Council. The way the change was implemented was to create a new non-metropolitan county of Thurrock covering the borough, but with no separate county council; instead, the existing borough council took over county council functions, making it a unitary authority. Since 1998 the council has generally styled itself "Thurrock Council" rather than "Thurrock Borough Council". [9] Thurrock remains part of the ceremonial county of Essex for the purposes of lieutenancy. [10]
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. [11] [12]
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. [13] One of the companies in which the council had invested, Toucan Energy, went into administration on 11 November 2022. [14] [15] Businessman Liam Kavanagh is accused of cheating the council out of as much as £130 million in relation to the deals. [16] Thurrock also made a £94 million loan to the Just Loans Group plc, a business lender which went bankrupt in June 2022. [17]
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. [18] 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. [19]
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. [17] [20] On 19 December 2022 the council issued a Section 114 notice barring any new expenditure, being the local authority equivalent of declaring bankruptcy. [21] [22] In March 2023 the government appointed a new managing director for the council, Dave Smith. [23]
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. [24]
The council has been under Labour majority control since the 2024 election.
Political control of the council since the 1974 reforms has been as follows: [25] [26]
Lower tier non-metropolitan district
Party in control | Years | |
---|---|---|
Labour | 1974–1979 | |
No overall control | 1979–1982 | |
Labour | 1982–1998 |
Unitary authority
Party in control | Years | |
---|---|---|
Labour | 1998–2004 | |
Conservative | 2004–2007 | |
No overall control | 2007–2012 | |
Labour | 2012–2014 | |
No overall control | 2014–2021 | |
Conservative | 2021–2024 | |
No overall control [27] | 2024–2024 | |
Labour | 2024–present |
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: [28]
Councillor | Party | From | To | |
---|---|---|---|---|
Jimmy Aberdein [29] | Labour | 1989 | 1995 | |
Andy Smith [30] [31] | Labour | 1995 | 30 Jun 2004 | |
Anne Cheale | Conservative | 30 Jun 2004 | 24 May 2006 | |
Terry Hipsey | Conservative | 24 May 2006 | 25 Mar 2009 | |
Garry Hague | Conservative | 25 Mar 2009 | 19 May 2010 | |
John Kent | Labour | 19 May 2010 | 25 May 2016 | |
Rob Gledhill [32] | Conservative | 25 May 2016 | 2 Sep 2022 | |
Mark Coxshall | Conservative | 13 Oct 2022 | 7 May 2023 | |
Andrew Jefferies [33] | Conservative | 24 May 2023 | 22 May 2024 | |
John Kent | Labour | 22 May 2024 |
Following the 2024 election, the composition of the council was: [34] [35] [36] [27]
Party | Councillors | |
---|---|---|
Labour | 27 | |
Conservative | 13 | |
Independent | 9 | |
Total | 49 |
Of the nine independent councillors, eight sit together as the "Non-political Alliance of Independent Councillors", the other does not belong to a group. [37] The next election is due in May 2025. [38]
The council is based at Thurrock Town Hall on New Road in Grays. [39] 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. [40] In 1986 the council built itself a new headquarters at the corner of New Road and Derby Bridge Road in the centre of Grays. [41] 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. [42] [43]
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. [44] This system will change from 2025, with elections being held every four years for the whole council. [45]
The wards, with their numbers on the map below, are: [44] [46]
|
The mayors since 1982 have included:
Councillor | Party | From | To | |
---|---|---|---|---|
Bob Wood [48] [49] | Labour | 1982 | 1983 | |
Sid Josling [50] | Labour | 1984 | 1985 | |
Arthur Clarke [51] | Labour | 1985 | 1986 | |
George Watts [52] | Labour | 1988 | 1989 | |
John Dunn [53] | Labour | 1989 | 1990 | |
Ken Evans [54] | Labour | 1990 | 1991 | |
Kitty Price [55] | Labour | 1991 | 1992 | |
Pat Rice [56] | Labour | 1993 | 1994 | |
Barry Palmer [57] | Labour | 1994 | 1995 | |
Reg Lee [58] | Labour | 1995 | 1996 | |
Sid Josling [50] | Labour | 1996 | 1997 | |
Arthur Bennett [59] | Labour | 1997 | 1998 | |
Albert Vandersteen [60] | Labour | 1998 | 1999 | |
Carl Morris [61] [62] | Labour | 1999 | 2000 | |
Julian Norris [63] [64] | Labour | 2000 | 2001 | |
Barrie Lawrence [63] [62] | Labour | 2001 | 2002 | |
Gordon Barton [65] [62] | Labour | 2002 | 2003 | |
Gerard Rice [56] [66] | Labour | 2003 | 2004 | |
Ian Harrison [67] [68] | Conservative | 2004 | 2005 | |
Colin Churchman [65] [69] | Conservative | 2005 | 2006 | |
Joy Redsell [70] [71] | Conservative | 2006 | 2007 | |
Diane Revell [72] | Conservative | 2007 | 2008 | |
John Everett [73] | Conservative | 2008 | 2009 | |
Maureen Pearce [74] | Conservative | 2009 | 2010 | |
Anne Cheale [75] | Thurrock Concerned Conservative | 2010 | 2011 | |
Yash Gupta [76] [77] | Labour | 2011 | 2013 | |
Tony Fish [78] | Labour | 2013 | 2014 | |
Steve Liddiard [79] | Labour | 2014 | 2015 | |
Sue Gray [80] [81] | Labour | 2015 | 2016 | |
Cathy Kent [82] [83] | Labour | 2016 | 2017 | |
Tunde Ojetola [84] | Conservative | 2017 | 2018 | |
Barbara Rice [85] | Labour | 2018 | 2019 | |
Terry Piccolo [86] | Conservative | 2019 | 2021 | |
Sue Shinnick [87] [88] | Labour | 2021 | 2022 | |
James Halden [89] | Conservative | 2022 | 2023 | |
Sue Little | Conservative | 2023 | 2024 | |
Kairen Raper [90] | Labour | 2024 |
Thurrock, the area with borough status which this council administers.
Thurrock is a unitary authority area with borough status in the ceremonial county of Essex, England. It lies on the north bank of the River Thames immediately east of London and has over 18 miles (29 km) of riverfront including the Port of Tilbury, the principal port for London. Thurrock is within the London commuter belt and is an area of regeneration within the Thames Gateway redevelopment zone. The borough includes the northern ends of the Dartford Crossing.
Grays is the largest town in the borough and unitary authority area of Thurrock, in the ceremonial county of Essex, England. The town, which is both a former civil parish and one of Thurrock's traditional Church of England parishes, is located on the north bank of the River Thames.
Castle Point is a local government district with borough status in south Essex, England, lying around 30 miles (48 km) east of London. The borough comprises the towns of South Benfleet, Hadleigh and Thundersley on the mainland, and the adjoining Canvey Island in the Thames Estuary, which is connected to the mainland by bridges.
The City of Colchester is a local government district with city status in Essex, England, named after its main settlement, Colchester. It is, with 194,394 people according to Office of National Statistics estimate for mid 2022, the most populous district in the Essex and also includes the towns of West Mersea and Wivenhoe and the surrounding rural areas stretching from Dedham Vale on the Suffolk border in the north to Mersea Island in the Colne Estuary in the south.
Tilbury is a port town in the borough of Thurrock, Essex, England. The present town was established as separate settlement in the late 19th century, on land that was mainly part of Chadwell St Mary. It contains a 16th century fort and an ancient cross-river ferry. Tilbury is part of the Port of London with a major deep-water port which contributes to the local economy. Situated 24 miles (38.5 km) east of central London and 23 miles (37 km) southwest of Southend-on-Sea, it is the southernmost point in Essex.
The Borough of Basildon is a local government district with borough status in Essex, England. It is named after its largest town, Basildon, where the council is based. The borough also includes the towns of Billericay and Wickford and surrounding rural areas.
The Borough of Brentwood is a local government district with borough status in Essex, England. The borough is named after its main town of Brentwood, where the council is based; it includes several villages and the surrounding rural area.
Thurrock is a constituency represented in the House of Commons of the UK Parliament since 2024 by Jen Craft of the Labour Party.
Thurrock Council is the local authority for the unitary authority of Thurrock in Essex, England. Until 1 April 1998 it was a non-metropolitan district. One third of the council is elected each year, followed by one year without an election. Since the unitary authority was first elected in 1997, the council has consisted of 49 councillors elected from 20 wards.
Thurrock was a local government district and civil parish in south Essex, England from 1936 to 1974.
Essex County Council is the county council that governs the non-metropolitan county of Essex in England. It has 75 councillors, elected from 70 divisions, and has been under Conservative majority control since 2001. The council meets at County Hall in the centre of Chelmsford. It is a member of the East of England Local Government Association.
Swindon Borough Council is the local authority of the Borough of Swindon in the ceremonial county of Wiltshire, England. It was founded in 1974 as Thamesdown Borough Council, and was a lower-tier district council until 1997. In 1997 it was renamed Swindon Borough Council and became a unitary authority, being a district council which also performs the functions of a county council; it is independent from Wiltshire Council, the unitary authority which administers the rest of the county.
Cheshire East Council is the local authority for Cheshire East, a local government district with borough status in the ceremonial county of Cheshire, England. The council is a unitary authority, being a district council which also performs the functions of a county council. It has been under no overall control since 2019, being run by a coalition of Labour, local parties and independent councillors, led by Labour councillor Sam Corcoran.
Plymouth City Council is the local authority for the city of Plymouth, in the ceremonial county of Devon, England. Plymouth has had a council since 1439, which has been reformed on numerous occasions. Since 1998 the council has been a unitary authority, being a district council which also performs the functions of a county council; it is independent from Devon County Council.
Southend-on-Sea City Council is the local authority of the city of Southend-on-Sea, in the ceremonial county of Essex, England. Southend has had an elected local authority since 1866, which has been reformed several times. Since 1998 the council has been a unitary authority, being a district council which also performs the functions of a county council; it is independent from Essex County Council
The Thurrock Independents, also known as the Thurrock Independents Party (TIP), was a localist and populist British political party based in Thurrock, Essex, England. It was formed in January 2018 when seventeen Thurrock councillors, including then-East of England MEP Tim Aker, broke-away from the UK Independence Party (UKIP) after claiming to have grown disillusioned with party politics. At its height in 2018, the party was Thurrock Council's official opposition group and had two members in the European Parliament. It declined after multiple defections and election defeats and was left with only one councillor after the 2023 elections. The party disbanded later that year.
The 2022 Thurrock Council election took place on 5 May 2022 to elect a third of the members of Thurrock Council in England. Sixteen of the council's 49 seats were contested in sixteen of Thurrock's twenty electoral wards. There are two or three seats in each ward depending on its population. This was on the same day as other local elections across the United Kingdom.
The 2024 Thurrock Council election was held on 2 May 2024 to elect a third of the members of Thurrock Council in Essex, England. It was held on the same day as other local elections across England, including the 2024 Essex police and crime commissioner election. The Labour Party led by John Kent won control of the council for the first time since 2014 from the Conservative Party, which had previously governed in a minority administration with no overall control.
The 1997 Thurrock Council election took place on 1 May 1997 to elect the members of Thurrock Council in Essex, England. It took place on the same day as the 1997 general election and other local elections across England.
Jennifer Craft is a British Labour Party politician and former civil servant who has been Member of Parliament (MP) for Thurrock since 2024.