THURROCK Council is facing a rising spend on agency workers, with the bill expected to reach £17.2 million by the end of the current financial year – £800,000 more than last year.

Despite efforts to reduce reliance on temporary staff, agency expenditure remains stubbornly high and between April and August 2025 alone, the council spent £7.2 million on agency workers — £300,000 more than during the same period in 2024.

While the number of agency workers has dropped slightly from 242 to 227, and the council's permanent workforce has grown by 61 employees, concerns persist about the sustainability of current staffing models.

Agency costs now account for 13.1 per cent of total workforce expenditure, up from 11.6 per cent in 2022/23 — the year Thurrock was placed into government intervention.

The council's corporate overview and scrutiny committee, which will meet on Thursday (9 October), is set to review a new action plan which outlines short, medium, and long-term strategies to curb agency spending. Immediate actions include reviewing high-cost assignments and ensuring agency roles do not exceed the budget allocated for permanent posts.

The issue is compounded by the council's previous commitment to deliver £2.459 million in workforce savings during 2024/25.

While £2.359 million of that target was met, overall agency expenditure still rose to £16.4 million, exceeding the previous year's figure by £1.2 million.

All new agency assignments and extensions now require approval from senior leadership, finance, HR, and the chief finance officer.

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Challenged by the situation and questions about the control on spending, the council acknowledges that deeper organisational reform is needed.

Nearly half of the agency spend in 2024/25 was attributed to 119 day-rate assignments, highlighting the cost implications of temporary staffing.

Long-term solutions will focus on redesigning the council's operating model and aligning workforce planning with its corporate roadmap.

A report to the committee says: "The scrutiny committee is expected to provide feedback on the proposed actions, as Thurrock seeks to balance service delivery with financial discipline amid ongoing intervention and transformation efforts."

Thurrock Nub News has recently report on the rising costs at the council, suggesting it has become something of a gravy train for agency and short term workers

In September Thurrock Nub News reported that the council had paid out more than £4 million in exit packages to staff over the last two years

And the council, as detailed in another  Thurrock Nub News story, has expanded the number of high earners on its payroll. Significantly more than 30 people now earn more than £100,000 - and that does not include a number of consultant or interim appointments.

The increased cost of staffing and governance does not just include officers, earlier this year Labour members outvoted opposition councillors and created two new 'deputy cabinet member' posts with allowances of just under £6,000 each.

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