THURROCK Council has outlined proposals to cut £41 million from its budget over the next three years as it battles ongoing financial pressures and legacy debt.

The savings form part of the council's Medium Term Financial Strategy and budget-setting process for 2026/27. The corporate overview and scrutiny committee reviewed the plans on Thursday ahead of their submission to cabinet in December.

The council must deliver £13.65 million in savings in 2026/27 alone to meet its legal obligation to set a balanced budget. If proposals are not agreed, alternative cuts will need to be found.

Measures include: a reduction of £300,000 from housing for young people by providing more direct housing options to reduce costs, £800,000 from children's services by focusing on early intervention to prevent more intensive and costly care and a £300,000 saving from home-to-school transport through improved procurement.

The council proposes hiring two specialist staff for two years to train social workers in compiling continuing healthcare plans, aimed at reducing future costs.

A review of overtime will see spending reduced by 7.5 per cent annually.

One proposal to save £40,000 by scrapping the council's Friday and Saturday night out-of-hours noise service drew criticism.

Committee chairman Ben Maney said: "This is a relatively small saving. Residents use this service. Cutting it is a retrograde step. You can't investigate something after the event, so this will leave people enduring antisocial behaviour with little recourse."

Council leader Lynne Worrall warned of the scale of the challenge: She said: "All councils face huge pressures as demand for services outstrips income, and Thurrock is no exception.

"Let's be brutally honest—this council faces further difficulties due to the enormous debt we inherited. For years, we made no significant savings, and that failure set us up for financial disaster."

She added: "We've made progress, but we still need to deliver £41 million over three years. These are hard choices, and we cannot dodge them."

Cabinet will consider the proposals in December before they go to Full Council for approval.