MAYOR of Thurrock Cllr Kairen Raper has joined in the tributes to Margaret Jones, the first Mayor of Thurrock;s unitary council, who passed away on Tuesday (15 October).

Cllr Raper said: "It is with great sadness that I learned of Margaret Jones' passing. For more than five decades Margaret has been an important figure in public life in the borough. She was the first Mayor of Thurrock in 1974. Today the flag at the Civic Offices is flying at half-mast as we mourn her loss.

"Margaret had a real passion for helping young people find their place in the world. She worked as a teacher, was Thurrock Council's first Cabinet Member for Education and served as President of Thurrock Scouts until last year.

"She will be sorely missed, but fondly remembered by so many people she helped across more than 50 years in political and public life in Thurrock."

Tribute was also paid to Margaret at Tuesday evening's meeting of the council's People Overview and Scruitny committee, wher its chair, Cllr neil Speight, described Mrs Jones as a 'force of nature'.