A CONTROVERSIAL councillor has been named as the new leader of Thurrock Council.

Reform UK, which won a landslide victory to take 45 of the authority's 49 seats in last week's election, has named Richard Bingley as the new group leader who will head up the council.

It's a return to leadership of a council for Cllr Bingley, who will receive a total allowance of £43,178 for the role.

It's his third stint as a councillor in Thurrock. In his first he was elected as a Conservative in the Corringham and Fobbing ward in 1997 but defected to Labour in 98. He served one term on the council there and did not stand in 2001 when he was replaced as ward councillor by his grandfather, Ian Harrison - who won it back for the Conservatives.

Cllr Bingley reappeared in 2006, winning the Tilbury St Chads seat for Labour. Again he served one term.

He worked for Campaign Against the Arms Trade, then for the Labour Party before he went to live in Czechia (Czech Republic). He then joined UKIP and was their security spokesperson nationally before reappearing as Conservative in Plymouth where he was elected and became leader of the council.

He fell on his sword and quit his position in 2023 after being described as the instigator of a 'chainsaw massacre' after signing an order to cut down more than 100 trees. The incident dragged on into 2025 with the release of a report into what had happened, which was described as a £3.3m fiasco.

Cllr Bingley has forged a career as a business security lecturer, working for a number of educational establishments and other companies and is also an author, having written a number of technical books, his latest being the award-winning' 'Combatting Cyber Terrorism'.

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Cllr Bingley won a place back on the council last Thursday (7 May), topping the poll in the Stifford ward with 1115 votes. His appointment to the top role in Thurrock was confirmed last night by a Reform party spokesperson, who also confirmed the deputy leader with a total allowance of £26,866 will be Alan Benson.

Cllr Benson retained his seat, previously won in a May 2025 by-election in Ockendon when he and fellow Reform member Russell Cherry became the council's first elected Reform members.