News in Thurrock

A BID to build a new gas-fired power station in Tilbury has moved a step closer after Thurrock Council said there were more positive aspects to the plan than negatives in a report to the Planning Inspectorate.

At a meeting of the council's planning committee on Thursday, 11 February, members were briefed on the council's proposed response to the government as it considers granting permission for the new venture which will be on part of the former Tilbury coal-fired power station.

THURROCK Council's top brass got a bit of a bloodied nose as plans to push through designs for Stanford-le-Hope's new station hit the buffers when planning councillors decided they would not be railroaded into making a quick decision.

As reported yesterday (Thursday, 11 February) the council's new designs for the station were due to be debated by the planning committee last night and officers were recommending they be approved.

A BID by Thurrock planning committee member Gerard Rice to bring reported delays in council bureaucracy onto the agenda of tonight's meeting of the committee was quickly shut down by the meeting chairman this evening (Thursday, 11 February).

Thurrock Nub News understands developers behind the residential, golf course, hotel and fitness centre project at Langdon Hills are angry they have not been able to move ahead with the project because of delays in the council completing the paperwork.

BIN collections in Thurrock have now been suspended until after the weekend as the council's waste service has been monitoring weather updates which are forecast to stay below freezing.

Conditions are not expected to improve sufficiently to allow safe working conditions until after the weekend.

FIVE colleagues of a Thurrock-based policeman and father of three young boys who died aged just 36 are to spend a day on a fundraising walk in tribute and to help his family.

In March 2020, PC Ewan Smith died unexpectedly. He had been unable to attend work at Grays police station due to a headache. Later that day he suffered a sudden seizure at his Southend home and was rushed to hospital.

POLICE are appealing for help to try and find a missing 22-year-old woman from Purfleet.

Cornelia Maruna was last seen this morning (Thursday, 11 February) in Basildon.

A LATE change of mind by planning councillor Gerard Rice swayed the balance of approval in a controversial planning application in Stanford-le-Hope this evening (Thursday, 11 February).

The application for nine new homes on the new James Court development adjacent to St Clere's Hall, which was before councillors for a fourth time after a number of deferments and a site visit, appeared to be foundering as it approached a vote.

ELIGIBLE children from Thurrock schools will again be supported throughout the February half term with each receiving a weekly £15 supermarket voucher.

Cabinet Member for Education Cllr Andrew Jefferies said; "For two weeks in December last year the council supported thousands of eligible children across the borough with free school meals, and I am proud to say that we are once again delivering on this promise during February half term this year.

THURROCK Council's lead councillor for children's services has welcomed the council's move to appoint an independent chair of the borough's safer children's partnership.

An advertisement for the role, which pays £600 a day for up to 21 days a year has now been published.

A FORMER mayor of Thurrock, Tunde Ojetola, is adding his voice to the call for black and minority ethnic group residents of Thurrock to respond and receive the Covid vaccine jab when asked to do so.

There has been a lot of speculation in the press that black and minority ethnic (BME) residents will not receive the jab due to rumours circulated on social media. Some of the oft-quoted concerns that have been raised include Luciferase enzyme and its role in vaccine manufacturing, use of aborted fetal cells in vaccine, conspiracy theories about Bill Gates, that the vaccine was manufactured too quickly, microchip insertion, vaccine affecting fertility and the '666' mark of the beast, among others.