POLITICAL rhetoric in Thurrock between Conservatives and Labour has stepped up as the forthcoming local elections approach.

The borough will go to the polls in 16 wards next week and while Conservatives go into polling day with a significant margin of control on the council, a number of controversial issues are clouding the local picture for them.

One of the key issues is the continued problem of missed bin collections in the borough, highlighted by many local residents on countless social media platforms and featured in a recent Nub News story after we had meetings with council workers who felt they are unfairly bearing the brunt of the public's dissatisfaction with the service.

In our exclusive story, we were also able to highlight the ruling Conservative group's plans to switch general waste collections to a fortnightly basis in September – news that has shocked many local residents as it has been given very little publicity by the council.

One Conservative councillor who has stepped up to interject her views into local arguments is Cllr Abbie Akinbohun who says the problem with bin collections is down to a 'go slow' by council workers – a rather strange comment as it came just hours after the council had issued a statement praising the bin teams for their efforts to overcome problems.

Cllr Akinbohun, a former Labour councillor who defected to the Tory ranks, is standing for election in her South Chafford ward, where she is being challenged by Labour's Sue Shinnick.

Cllr Akinbohun says: "We know the truth is bin crews are on a go slow because of the election. But we won't be held to ransom. There's an investigation going on. We are having more staff starting next week to help clear down the missed bins."

Nub News has asked the Conservative group if her comments reflect the group's opinion of the performance of workers in the environmental services department but we have received no response. And we have asked the council (and environment portfolio holder Cllr Andrew Jefferies) if Cllr Akinbohun's statement about the authority recruiting more staff is correct.

Just prior to Cllr Akinbohun's public comments, the Labour group had issued a formal statement on the bins situation though, prepared by Cllr Jane Pothecary, the group's shadow portfolio holder for the environment 

She said: "The Conservative-run council keep making excuses about their complete inability to get our bins emptied on time. They think it's acceptable for missed collections to be the norm. They need to listen to the experts, the people who do the job day in and day out, and implement sensible solutions. 

"What we've seen is a series of missteps including the cutting of safety checks, the introduction of extra red tape that stops the refuse workers getting on with their job, and bin lorries that are too big for many of Thurrock's streets. 

"Thurrock Tories have vandalised a service that, although not perfect, was emptying nine million bins a year with all three bins emptied every week. Residents are entitled to ask - why are things getting so much worse, not better under Thurrock Conservatives?

"Rather than listening to their employees, residents and local opposition councillors, who keep saying there's a fundamental problem, Thurrock Council have tried blaming a few one-off protests. But we know the problems with bin collections go deeper than that. 

"When bin collections go fortnightly in September, it will be an even bigger disaster than the one unfolding at the moment. Yet the Conservative administration, who are currently asking Thurrock residents for another year in power, refuse to see the obvious." 

Rhetoric stepped up on another issue today (Monday, 25 April) when Conservative leader Cllr Rob Gledhill issued a press release in conjunction with the council's newly acquired injunction against the JustStopOil protest. In it he accused some local Labour of being associated with radical extremists and thereby actively encouraging protests in the borough

Welcoming the new injunction, Cllr Gledhill said: "This is great news and shows that a Conservative-run Thurrock Council will do all it can to stop this disruption to fuel supplies and this is the first of its kind in the country.

"I would like to thank council officers and police who helped minimise the impact of these protests by securing this injunction. The fact that they worked up to midnight on Sunday evening and into Monday morning is a testament to their dedication. It has cost over £1m of taxpayers' money to stop these mindless protests and the problems they have caused."

He then went on to highlight what he claimed to be 'close links between these dangerous socialist mobs' and the Thurrock Labour group – claiming Labour councillors had championed disruptive action by climate campaigners.

Nub News understands the Labour group is seeking legal advice over the nature of comments by Cllr Gledhill which they believe are defamatory and beyond aan accepted level of political rivalry. We have also asked the Conservative group for the evidence backing up their claims but have had no response to our request.

It seems likely the caustic relationship between the two political groups over the state of Thurrock is set to continue right up to polling.