THURROCK MP Jackie Doyle-Price has delivered a damning critique of Thurrock Council, its officers and particularly its leading councillors over the shocking state of its finances.

She does not spare the political rod, criticising fellow Conservatives - nor the dometic one as her long time parter, council leader Cllr Mark Coxshall, is very much in her firing line.

Cllr Coxshall, who works for Ms Doyle-Price as her part time constituency office manager (salary between 35,000.00 to £39,999.99), has been a longstanding member of the council and a leading spokesperson on local policies.

As portfolio for regeneration, and member of the council's general services committee, he has been right at the top tier of the local Tories' decision-making process over recent years. When council leader Rob Gledhill stood down in September, Cllr Coxshall took over in an interim capacity and was then elected leader in October.

Casting a critical eye at local leadership, Ms Doyle-Price says: "Cabinet members are there to give challenge to officers of the Council. They are not there to simply be their spokesmen. That is especially true of the Leader."

In a statement released today - Ms Doyle-Price's second commentary on the financial situation and failed 'borrow to invest policy' that has brought the council to the point where it is about to declare itself bankrupt - she says: "Thurrock Council has now come clean about the extent of the financial damage caused by the flawed investment strategy.

"As a Conservative I am utterly opposed to taking unnecessary risk with taxpayers' money. When I challenged the council on the wisdom of this strategy I was advised that it was bringing in revenue of £30m a year - £30m which would have had to be raised through council tax rises

"What we have now discovered is that the investments have lost £275m.

"Since the Government intervention there has been a forensic accounting exercise to establish how these losses materialised and who is responsible. The outcome of those investigations is due in January. 

"What is very clear is that Thurrock Council embarked on a financial strategy it did not have the expertise to manage. And in that regard it took an unacceptable level of risk. Furthermore, it is clear that members failed to appreciate the risks associated with this strategy. It feels like some of them still do not.

"There were many warnings given to Thurrock Council over the last two and a half years. They were warned that the strategy breached prudential rules for the management of public finances by CIPFA. They were warned by Government Ministers that the strategy had an unacceptable level of risk. And they were warned by the NAO that the borrowing strategy was fraught with risk. In the end it was this that crystallised when councils refused to lend and Thurrock Council found itself in a Northern Rock situation.

"We now await the full assessment of how this situation developed unchecked. But there are clear issues of cultural behaviour at Thurrock Council which has allowed this situation to develop. Cabinet members are there to give challenge to officers of the Council. They are not there to simply be their spokesmen. That is especially true of the Leader. Whatever happens next these cultural issues must be addressed. The openness with which the Council is communicating regarding the financial position suggests they are.