THUROCK Council's portfolio holder for corporate performance put a positive slant on her mid year report to the authority's cabinet.

Telling colleagues that the council was hitting 73.8 per cent of its targets by September last year, Corringham businesswoman and Ward councillor Deb Huelin said that timely bin collections, an increase in the number of apprenticeships undertaken at the council and increased satisfaction with housing services were just some of the headline successes for the authority.

Other indicators highlighted in the report include:

• 100% of potholes were repaired within the agreed time frame
• more than 98.5% of refuse bins in the borough were collected on the scheduled collection day for a year
• more than 39 council apprenticeships started in the first half of 2019/20
• tenant satisfaction with neighbourhoods and housing services reached its highest satisfaction rate ever recorded (81.2%)

Cllr Huelin, Cabinet member for central services and communities, said: "Within the first half of this financial year our services have performed incredibly well. To see that nearly 75% of our targets were on track in the first half of the year is amazing and already an increase from the 67.5% of all targets that were achieved in 2018/19.

"Whilst challenges continue to meet some of the targets, there is a clear 'route to green' and many of these areas have already seen improvements so far this year.

"Thurrock is determined to provide the best services possible and this is reflected in the ambitious goals that we continue to set ourselves each and ever year."