THE former leader of Thurrock Council's Labour group has refuted comments by the council that she was consulted and kept informed about the authority's billion pound borrowing programme for commercial investment.

A major investigation by the Financial Times, which followed an exclusive Thurrock Nub News story about the level of borrowing, has focused on huge concerns about the council's debt with fears expressed in the world of finance by many commentators that the borough is at risk because of the huge amount it owes.

The Financial Times expose and a detailed investigation by the Bureau of Investigative Journalism were published on Friday (22 May) and the council responded with an unattributed rebuttal on Sunday.

In it the council countered the figures produced by the investigation and said its 'hard debt' was only 'circa £280m'. There was no definition of what 'hard debt' is but the statement said the FT's investigation was 'inaccurate', even though – as reported in January by Thurrock Nub News , its own papers to Cabinet put its debt at 1.2 billion.

The statement also said: "Scrutiny of the approved investment strategy has been integral to further decision-making – there have been over 30 meetings held to which all political group leaders have been invited since 2016."

Today (Tuesday, 26 May), Cllr Jane Pothecary – who led the Labour group for a year before standing down earlier this month to concentrate on her family, having just had a baby – denied that.

She told Thurrock Nub News: "During the time I was leader of the opposition, I do not recall having been invited to a meeting to discuss the borrowing or investment strategy in detail. I did receive a briefing in January 2020 at my request. Specific investments have never been discussed with me."

Cllr Pothecary was succeeded by Cllr John Kent, who was also Labour Group leader in 2016 when the council alleges he was 'engaged' with the decision-making process.

The rebuttal says: "The council's first investment into solar products was completed under delegated officer authority only after officers engaged with all three political group leaders before the May 2016 annual general meeting."

Cllr Kent says he was involved in a brief, non-specific conversation about the principle of borrowing money to fund investment, in 2016 but was never given details of what was happening as officers ploughed ahead with the scheme without further reference to him.

Cllr Kent has called for an extraordinary meeting of the full council to debate the current situation and the council's level of secrecy and lack of accountability.