THURROCK MP Dame Jackie Doyle Price has again expressed her opposition to an independent public inquiry into the financial collapse of Thurrock Council.

Local government minister Simon Hoare recently rejected calls for the probe, sent to government on the back of two substantial petitions from the public and a unanimous vote of borough councillors.

Dame Jackie draws parallels with the ongoing inquiry into the Post Office and failings in the NHS but says the two levels of public malfeasance are not the same.

In a statement she says: "The plight of the sub postmasters has rightly touched everyone. The fact that innocent people went to prison and lost their livelihoods at the hands of the State is utterly disgusting.

"It is a reminder that the institutions of the State are the last to admit when things have gone wrong.

"Witness the failure by the NHS to acknowledge for decades what happened to the victims of contaminated blood. It was only when I became the responsible minister that I was able to persuade Theresa May to grant a public inquiry.

"Which brings me to demands for a public inquiry into what happened to Thurrock Council's finances.

"The inquiry held by Government-appointed inspectors is very clear and tells us all we need to know.

"The financial mismanagement at Thurrock is due to poor leadership and governance that goes back decades.

"Councillors have been more interested in electioneering than in making responsible corporate decisions and giving appropriate challenge.

"The result is that the Council has failed to deliver the projects it promised and has delivered a financial catastrophe. A public inquiry will not add any more to our understanding. Thurrock Council is severely dysfunctional and needs serious repair.

"What angers people is that it appears no one has faced accountability for what happened at Thurrock.

"It isn't enough that the political leaders and officers responsible have walked the plank.

"The public want to see someone jailed or disgraced for their role in this. I understand that completely and if anyone needs to face prosecution I will be at the head of the queue demanding they do so.

"To be clear however, the Police have been involved in these investigations from day one. Poor judgment is not a criminal offence – there has to be evidence of wilful wrongdoing. Poor governance and scrutiny is not a criminal offence either."

Dame Doyle-Price's comment about involvement of the police contradicts a number of previous statements from police services, not least last year's statement by Thurrock police commander CI Tony Atkin who said the Essex Force were not engaged in an investigation - nor did he he think the force was up to the task: https://thurrock.nub.news/news/local-news/is-a-police-probe-more-likely-after-government-again-delays-publishing-details-of-its-commissioners-report-into-thurrock-council-financial-collapse-essex-police-has-championed-the-work-of-its-special-investigations-team-175038.

Dame Jackie believes resolution remains with the local authority, saying: "It is for Thurrock's councillors to address to sort out Council processes and make sure that this can never happen again.

"Investigations continue into what is a complex set of financial transactions.

"If we are serious about bringing any wrongdoing to justice, then these investigations must be allowed to continue without interference.

"In the meantime we all expect our local councillors to focus on making the Council fit for purpose and addressing the weaknesses highlighted in the Commissioners' Inspection report."