ONE of the founder members of the Independent Group on Thurrock Council, which came about following a switch of UKIP-elected councillors to operate under a non-aligned banner, believes the time may be right for a return to 'three party' politics in the borough.

Peter Smith was elected to the council as a UKIP representative for Aveley & Uplands in May 2015 and, in 2018, was one of 17 councillors who renounced the party and formed the 'Independent Group'.

He lost his seat in 2019 when Colin Churchman, a former UKIP and Independent Group colleague who rejoined the Tories, beat him by 147 votes.

Mr Smith, who became a well-respected Chair of the Lower Thames Crossing Task Force before losing his seat, remains a keen observer of politics and Thurrock Council and says he has been shocked by the way the authority and the government has 'failed to get to grips' with the Covid-19 pandemic.

He says: "I would like to alert Thurrock residents to the current inept and impotent actions of our current government, namely the inaction to take a 'boot to the throat' approach over Covid-19, to suppress and contain this further.

"It appears to me fools are running the show and we are in the hands of minions. We need clarity and leadership right now, both of which are lacking from the current Thurrock administration."

Mr Smith added: "I would like to test the waters in Thurrock to see if there is an appetite for a third party in Thurrock. There are a number of people I know, including former councillors, who feel the same way, and if there is a demand, we might be ready to step up to the plate again.

"Our initial motivation was to bring about Brexit, which has been achieved. I don't deny we perhaps lost our way as an independent group, but maybe now is the time when we should offer the voters of Thurrock a real alternative again."