Millions to be slashed from council budget. Weekly bin collections to go, garden waste will cost; Families will have to dig deep to fund school travel; Careers advice and teen help to be decimated - councillors face a cutting edge debate | Local News | News | Thurrock Nub News

DRACONIAN cuts that may decimate many public services in Thurrock will be debated by borough councillors on Tuesday evening (28 November).

A specially convened meeting of Thurrock Council will hear details of 53 areas where services will be cut in a bid to slash more than £18 million from the authority's running costs next year.

And the misery won't end there. The government and commissioners trying to plug the gaps caused by the loss of hundreds of millions due to the Conservative administration's botched 'borrow to invest' policy have deemed the council has to axe another £18 million in the financial year 2025-26 and a further £13.65 million for each of the following three years.

In a briefing to councillors, senior finance officers have drafted plans that dress up cost-cutting as efficiency improvements and many of the proposed savings will be internal measures that will see administrative jobs cut and services run down to a bare minimum.

The council says it will do little other than run statutory services at the lowest possible level.

Those savings will still inevitably impact on the day-to-day services offered to some of the borough's most vulnerable.

For example, next year will see £832,000 cut from care packages delivered to borough residents.

Council insists children's social services will be protected despite cuts.

A restructuring of children's social care will bring a saving of £310,000, though the council says there will be no reduction in care given to children.

£145,000 has been earmarked to be chopped in a review of mini-bus and taxi services – breaking up many caring relationships between established, trusted services and instead opting for cut-price substitutes while £37,000 will be cut from the already stringent home to school subsidies. Both will impact on trusted links that get children to places like Treetops Special School. Post 16 transport for disadvantaged children is likely to be axed – which could force many teenagers' education and hope of a better life through learning to be stalled.

And help for post 16 youngsters looking for a career will be chopped. The council aims to reduce careers support with a reduction in careers advisors and employability and skills provision.

The council has already cut subsidies to rural transport provision, halting services to villages like East Tilbury and Horndon on the Hill – a move that has left many pensioners isolated and families having to dig deep into already stretched pockets to find ways to get their children to school.

Tens of thousands will be cut from services to keep the streets, pathways, parks and public open spaces fit for safe public use.

But the biggest saving, of more than £2.5 million, will see the end of weekly collections of general household waste – which will happen on a fortnightly rotating basis with recycling collection. While the brown bin garden waste service for residents will be scrapped – unless they agree to pay for it separately!

A couple of weeks ago Cllr Andrew Jefferies was effusive about the council's commitment to brown bin collections - though he was well aware of plans to axe the service but declined to mention them.

Yet only two weeks ago, knowing full well what was coming, council leader Cllr Andrew Jefferies was upbeat about his administration's commitment to looking after waste collection. In his weekly blog he detailed plans to extend brown bin collection in the run-up to Christmas – completely omitting to tell residents he was already supporting the death knell of the service!

Other cuts may have long term consequences. The council has already admitted it is 'spinning plates' trying to manage issues like flood prevention – but more than £100,000 is to be cut next year alone from emergency planning and public protection management.

The departments for health, community and public protection will see more than £2 million cut from its funding - with the 'Caring for Thurrock' package alone losing £562,000.

In one twist the council - which has been regularly criticised for its lack of commitment to road safety and bereted for its attempts to cut things like school crossing patrols - now plans to use road traffic violations as a source of fundraising.

Where it was happy to turn a blind eye in the past to things like driving onto yellow zig-zags at junctions - cameras will be put in place to capture the offenders' details and fines will follow!

Safety on the roads was not a previous driving force for change - but raising cash from rogue drivers now appears to be in vogue. It is anticipated the council will make and additional £348,000 a year in fines.

Cllr Andrew Jefferies

Cllr Jefferies says: "There can be no denying that Thurrock Council is facing some very difficult decisions.

"The task of saving £18.2 million in one year represents the largest deficit that the Authority is required to save in our history. Although this figure is daunting, we remain committed to funding vital areas such as Children's Services, Housing, Education, Environment, Economic Development, Communities, and Regeneration.

"This underscores our dedication to the welfare and development of our community.

"It is imperative that the decisions we take ensure that we can continue to support the most vulnerable people in our communities and continue to provide high-quality statutory services.

"The budget we are proposing allows us to do exactly this."

One item that was originally planned to be on the agenda was the closing of the Thameside complex (moving the library into the civic offices on New Road) – with a planned annual saving of more than £240,000 – but that proposal has been axed from those put before councillors on Tuesday evening.

The full presentation of budget cuts and revenue initiatives can be found via this link.

The meeting, which open to the public, will take place at the Town Hall on New Road, starting at 7pm. It can also be viewed live online via this link.