News in Thurrock

CASH-strapped Thurrock Council is poised to cut back on the number of grants it pays to young people with special educational needs or disability (SEND) to get them to special schools.

As part of its review of costs as it bids to claw back a budget shortfall of several million pounds in the coming year, the council is reviewing the payments it makes for school transport.

DESPITE waves of condemnation from parents and residents and a school transport plan that slams suggested alternatives as dangerous, Thurrock Council appears determined to carry on with its cost-saving plans to scrap free school buses for students at Stanford-le-Hope's St Clere's Secondary School who live in the villages Linford and East and West Tilbury.

The plan to scrap the service was first mooted in a survey for residents to comment on, exclusively revealed on Thurrock Nub News in December last year.

CONSERVATIVE councillors voted to maintain a veil of secrecy over reasons behind the soaring cost of Stanford-le-Hope's rail station rebuild - promoting a protest walk out by opposition councillors.

At this evening's (Tuesday, 1 February) meeting of Thurrock Council's planning, transport and regeneration overview and scrutiny committee members were due to be briefed on the latest situation regarding the botched and overrunning project.

THE rising cost of Stanford-le-Hope rail station is likely to be subject of intense debate at Thurrock Council's Planning, Transport, Regeneration Overview and Scrutiny Committee which meets the evening.

Councillors are being asked to go into secret session to discuss the latest report of the botched project – despite a revelation by Thurrock Nub News over the weekend which detailed the cost now at £30 million!

THURROCK Council planning officers have vetoed new signs at a borough petrol and service station – next to an iconic local leisure venue – on the grounds that they will 'result in visual clutter which would cause harm to, and would have a detrimental visual impact on, the surrounding area'.

The application for three new totem style advertising posts which would be ten, seven and three metres high respectively was submitted for the site of the Esso garage on the arterial road at Purfleet-on-Thames next to the Circus Tavern.

Haberdashers 27, Thurrock 14

THURROCK travelled to Croxdale Road on Saturday hoping to thread together a string of decent performances after the outstanding performance against high-flying Shelford the previous week.

THREE people were rescued following a fire in the early hours of this morning (Tuesday, 1 February) in Grays.

Firefighters were called to Seabrooke Rise today at 4.25am after neighbours saw smoke coming from a property.

THURROCK's Conservative MP Jackie Doyle-Price has issued a reflective comment on yesterday's visit by Prime Minister Boris Johnson to the borough's new port – and scenes that followed in the House of Commons later in the day, where she quizzed the PM over his intentions.

As reported yesterday by Thurrock Nub News, Ms Doyle-Price did not spare the rod as she questioned Mr Johnson about 'flunkies' in his office and his plans to reform accountability.

POLICE in Thurrock have been highlighting their latest operation in South Ockendon under their 'Surround A Town' scheme and also activities they have carried out in the east of the borough to combat illegal motorcycling.

And a further statement has highlighted the reported drop in the number of anti-social activity across the borough - though all the information was released on the day local bus company Ensign reported further damage to its buses by miscreants using BB guns.

THREE local good causes shared more than £4,260 today (Saturday, 20 November) when the charity fundraising campaign reached its conclusion.

Each year Co-op stores ask local people to nominate deserving community causes and three are selected to benefit.