NEW Thurrock Council leader Cllr Richard Bingley has published his thoughts on the borough's future under Reform – including an announcement he plans to 'commandeer' community groups, veterans, schools, developers and public agencies will be commandeered into a borough-wide civic pride taskforce.

Cllr Bingley's mission to take control of local voluntary services in a 'military' style targeted operation has come without any public discussion or debate with fellow councillors, rivals or those groups he hopes to take possession of.

The council cabinet meets for the first time this evening (Tuesday, 23 June), but nothing related to most of Cllr Bingley's pronouncements in a public announcement on Reform's local Facebook page yesterday is on the agenda.

There is no mention, for example, of his plan to introduce a borough-wide 'Civic Pride Recovery' plan which he says will include a blitz on visible public space improvements, reclamation of the River Thames, waging a war on litter louts, ASB and fly tipping.

He says the council will commandeer community groups, schools, developers and public agencies to fight the battle.

He also appears to have initiated a crackdown of council support for equality, diversity and inclusion (EDI) programmes. And he is cutting back on environmental support programmes and any initiatives supporting a drive towards net zero outcomes.

He has also stated all key procurement decisions must now go to cabinet with an 'evidence-led business case (something that is already in place among many restrictions on council spending imposed after government intervention in 2022.

And that comes just a few days on from a council announcement, on Reform's watch, that a potential £240 million contract had been signed off – a deal publicly welcomed in a statement approved by Cllr Rob Willoughby, portfolio holder for adult health and housing services – even though the Reform cabinet had not discussed it.

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He plans 'deep dive savings' from things like home-to school transport support, support for Special Educational Needs (SEND) children and adults and much more public spending.

Cllr Richard Bingley (front right) has praised the work of his Reform team in their first weeks of power

Cllr Bingley spoke glowingly of his party's first few weeks in power and laid out ten 'successes' of his regime to date.

He says Reform has:

1. Removed a foreign flag and hoisted Thurrock's precious Coat of Arms above our civic centre.

2.Ordered the cessation of Council spending on non-statutory EDI programmes, including recruitment, training and propaganda (we urgently need to Reform government to repeal the innately unjust 2010 Equalities Act).

3. Placed under review and stopped wherever possible all upcoming 'Net Zero' spend. Our councillors will place a Motion at July's Full Council to repeal Thurrock's 2019 Climate Emergency Declaration.

4. Approved a massively enhanced Public Space Protection Order for Grays.

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5. Ordered that all key decisions on procurement come to Cabinet for approval, alongside an evidence-led Business Case, which demonstrates 'Best Value' for residents, rather than serves as an ideological box-ticking exercise to please Labour ministers.

6. Directed a mass-scale cleaning and greening of the Borough prioritising war memorials, playing fields and footpaths.

7. Rolled-out new pothole jet patching technology and ordered a 'borough-wide pothole blitz' to repair thousands of road defects.

8. Introduced 'public spending review' panels to carry out deep-dives into home-to-school taxi provision, SEND overspend, resettlement schemes and much more. £350,000 of savings have already been identified – much more to come.

9. Formally written to the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities & Local Government to oppose Labour-imposed, Local Government Reorganisation.

10. Introduced a Borough-wide Civic Pride Recovery plan, which will include a blitz on visible public space improvements, reclaim the river, wage war on litter louts, ASB and fly tipping. Community groups, veterans, schools, developers and public agencies will be commandeered into a Borough-wide Civic Pride taskforce.

Cllr Bingley rounded off his valedictory first update on council matters by saying: "this is a team effort. My thanks go to our brilliant new cabinet, committee chairs and vice chairs as well as our hardworking team of ward councillors.

"Together we are fixing our lovely, but broken Borough."