BOROUGH businessman, community activist and family man Craig Austin has been appointed as the independent chair of the Tilbury Pride in Place Neighbourhood Board after a competitive recruitment process.

In March Thurrock Nub News reported on the announcement that Tilbury would receive £20 million of funding from the Government to empower local people to shape the future of their neighbourhood.

The funding is separate to any other grant cash for Tilbury or the wider borough and will come in allocations of £2 million a year for the next decade.

Mr Austin, 43, is well-known in Tilbury as a local resident and businessman, who has lived there for more than 40 years after his family moved a short distance down the Thames from Canvey, where he was born and attended Lansdowne Primary and St Chads Secondary.

His married an American girl, Tonya, and the duo raised their two daughters in the town.

Although the role comes with the option of remuneration, Mr Austin - who narrowly missed out on winning the Tilbury Riverside and Thurrock Park ward of Thurrock Council in 2023 when he lost to Labour's Cici Manwa by 35 votes - declined it.

For the last few years he has been unpaid chair of Tilbury Forum, one of Thurrock's most successful and well-attended community forums.

He was unanimously selected as Pride in Place Chair by a panel including MP for Tilbury Jen Craft who lobbied and championed the award of funding from Westminster.

Mr Austin, founder and owner of borough-based firm Romac Wheels, said: "I'm really excited about taking on the role and helping bring about major improvements to our town that will last for many decades.

"Tilbury is such a great place with huge opportunity, but as in many parts of the country, there are big challenges here too.

"Local people haven't always benefitted from previous investment, but I believe that a community-led Pride in Place plan has the potential to transform Tilbury and help it reach its potential. I can't wait to get started, and recruit the rest of the board."

Mrs Craft said: "I'm delighted that Craig will lead the delivery of £20 million for Tilbury.

"Craig has a proven track record of championing Tilbury and getting things done. His local knowledge and community links will be key to ensuring local people are at the heart of this project.

"This is a real opportunity to make a lasting difference for Tilbury. Craig and the Neighbourhood Board, once appointed, will have my full support to make that happen."

Management of the funding will be through Thurrock Council, though it has no direct control of allocating the cash.

Its role should be non-political. Mr Austin's appointment as an independent chair has been welcomed by Cllr George Monk, cabinet member for Deregulation, Efficiency and Civic Pride, said: "Restoring civic pride across our borough is one of the council's priorities, as sadly many parts of Thurrock feel neglected or uncared for.

"Our borough needs investment and commitment from everyone that lives or works here, to make it a place to be proud of.

"As such, the Pride in Place funding for Tilbury couldn't have come at a better time. This external funding will help bring about real and positive change in Tilbury, and I'd like to congratulate Craig."

The chair's first task is to appoint a board, details of the recruitment process will follow.

Once in place the board will begin engaging with local residents about their ideas for a Pride in Place plan for Tilbury.

Meanwhile, the council has confirmed to spend a separate £1.5 million to improve sites across the borough.

The Pride in Place Impact Fund is a Government initiative to help make small improvements to local areas, based on what local people want to see. This fund is separate from the £20m Pride in Place funding allocated to Tilbury and detailed above.

A statement from the council says: "Proposals recently agreed by the council's cabinet have been designed to respond directly to insight and feedback from residents, taken from a range of data and evidence including complaints data, resident surveys, public health data, member enquiries and engagement with MPs.

"They include some specific projects that have been identified by engagement with local communities, as well as some boroughwide projects to ensure as many people benefit as possible – these include six new playgrounds across the borough, and an expansion to our CCTV network to help crack down on fly-tipping and anti-social behaviour.

"Projects include:

• Investment in the green spaces around the high-rise block flats in Chadwell St Mary
• Investment in Grays Town Park to improve the park and community facilities
• Improvements to Grays High Street
• Creation of a Pride in Place community grants scheme to support smaller investments in visual, sustainable improvements to neighbourhoods."

Cllr Monk said: "This is a really positive announcement that will see improvements across our borough, and help increase pride in Thurrock.

"These projects respond to the things local people tell us they care most about. All of the proposals are based on local engagement and evidence to make sure we spend this funding on the things local people have told us they want to see.

"Although this isn't council funding, it's important we maximise every penny, and so members and officers will work closely together to monitor progress, and ensure each project delivers value for money as well as wider benefits for local people.

"While these proposals focus on how to spend the Pride in Place Impact funding, the council plans to use this evidence-based approach going forward, to make sure residents are at the heart of decisions about how external funding is spent."