News in Thurrock

THE latest war of words over Thurrock Council finances has prompted the authority's lead councillor for finance to rebut opposition claims that the government should be doing more to bail out the borough.

Today (Monday, 22 June) members of the Labour group on the council issued a release calling for a commitment to meet a potential £10 million shortfall in next year's budget.

THURROCK'S new secondary school has been given the green light to open in September.

After a review of the school's educational plans and a detailed Ofsted inspection earlier this month, the Department for Education has now given the go ahead for Thames Park Secondary School, which will initially set up in buildings formerly used as part of the South Essex College campus in Grays town centre.

THURROCK Council flew the flag today (Monday, 22 June), to commemorate Armed Forces Day.

A private ceremony was held in line with current social distancing guidance which saw the Armed Forces Flag raised outside the Civic Offices, Grays, by Mayor Cllr Terry Piccolo, for those who served our country in the Army, Navy, Airforce and Merchant Navy.

MEMBER Pioneers are part of the staff team at many Co-op stores and have a crucial part to play as they liaise and co-operate with local communities to identify what could really make a difference in local well-being.

They bring together Co-op members, colleagues and local causes to make their community a better place in which to work, play, live and learn.

WARD councillors have called on colleagues on Thurrock's planning committee to veto a retrospective application to site two containers to the rear of a Grays shop.

Residents in the area have complained to the council and councillors about the smell coming from the containers, behind shops at 150 and 152 London Road which have previously been used to store dried fish.

THREE ward councillors claim there is something rotten about a planning application currently before Thurrock Council - and they will be joinging a campaign to stop some fishy business.

Since the summer, residents at the bottom of Parker Road and the corner of London Road, in Grays, have complained about the smell of rotten fish coming from a container operating at the back of the old pet shop.

ALL the emergency services, including the RNLI were deployed to deal with an incident by the side of the Thames in Purfleet yesterday evening (Sunday, 21 June).

Police officers, firefighters, the ambulance service and a helicopter were called out, with the Gravesend lifeboat crew providing assistance on the river.

TODAY (Monday, 22 June) was scheduled to see a celebration and commemoration event at the Port of Tilbury to mark national Windrush Day.

72 years ago, the port played a significant role for the Windrush generation as their arrival point into the UK from their long voyages. This year, the COVID-19 restrictions mean that no events can take place, but both the Tilbury on the Thames Trust (governed by a board of six trustees drawn from the Port of Tilbury and the local community) and the port wanted to mark the day.

EAST Thurrock United have announced that former Thurrock FC owner Tommy South has joined the Rocks.

The club will go into the news season with a completely new backroom structure – and with a virtual new team on the pitch, following the departure earlier this year of long-serving manager John Coventry and the decision by members of the club's backroom team to stand down.

RESIDENTS in the west of the borough are reminded that this is the week for their brown bin garden and kitchen waste collections.

Thurrock Council is currently operating a fortnightly collection service for brown bins, and residents in the following wards are asked to put out their bins from Monday, 22 June and they will be emptied during the week.