Thurrock Council is the local authority for the borough of Thurrock in the ceremonial county of Essex, England. Since 1998 the council has been a unitary authority, being a district council which also performs the functions of a county council. It is a member of the East of England Local Government Association. The council is based in Grays.
In 2022 the council's level of debt arising from failed investments led to it issuing a Section 114 notice, being the local authority equivalent of declaring bankruptcy. The government directed neighbouring Essex County Council to take over Thurrock's finances and also appointed a new managing director for the council.
History Thurrock Urban District had been created in 1936 from the former urban districts of Grays Thurrock, Purfleet and Tilbury and the Orsett Rural District.
Urban districts were abolished in 1974 under the Local Government Act 1972. A new non-metropolitan district called Thurrock was created covering almost the same area as the former Thurrock Urban District, with just a minor change on the border with Basildon to place the whole designated area for Basildon new town in that district. The reformed Thurrock district was given borough status at the same time, allowing the council to call itself "Thurrock Borough Council" and letting the chair of the council the title of mayor.
The council was made a unitary authority on 1 April 1998, taking over county-level services in the area from Essex County Council. The way the change was implemented was to create a new non-metropolitan county of Thurrock covering the borough, but with no separate county council; instead, the existing borough council took over county council functions, making it a unitary authority. Since 1998 the council has generally styled itself "Thurrock Council" rather than "Thurrock Borough Council". Thurrock remains part of the ceremonial county of Essex for the purposes of lieutenancy.
The planning function for large developments was exercised by the Thurrock Thames Gateway Development Corporation in the whole of the borough from 2003 to 2012.
Financial difficulties In 2020, it emerged that the council had borrowed £420 million to buy into the solar power market, eventually rising to a total investment of £655million. One of the companies in which the council had invested, Toucan Energy, went into administration on 11 November 2022. Businessman Liam Kavanagh is accused of cheating the council out of as much as £130 million in relation to the deals. Thurrock also made a £94million loan to the Just Loans Group plc, a business lender which went bankrupt in June 2022.
On 2 September 2022, the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities intervened in the running of Thurrock Council, passing financial control of the council to Essex County Council, as well as ordering a Best Value Inspection, in response to concerns about the council's level of financial risk and debt. The council's financial exposure arises from loans of more than a billion pounds used to fund commercial investments. Council leader Rob Gledhill resigned on 2 September 2022, the day the government intervention was announced.
On 29 November 2022, Thurrock Council admitted that in that financial year it had a near £500 million budget deficit, mostly from failed investments. It asked for emergency financial assistance from the government. On 19 December 2022 the council issued a Section 114 notice barring any new expenditure, being the local authority equivalent of declaring bankruptcy. In March 2023 the government appointed a new managing director for the council, Dave Smith.
Governance As a unitary authority, Thurrock Council provides all local government services, albeit with oversight of the council's finances from Essex County Council since the government intervention in September 2022. There are no civil parishes in the borough, which is an unparished area.
Political control The council has been under Reform majority control since the 2026 election.
Political control of the council since the 1974 reforms has been as follows: (Put "Thurrock" in search box to see specific results.)
Lower tier non-metropolitan district Party in controlYears 1974–1979 1979–1982 1982–1998
Unitary authority Party in controlYears 1998–2004 2004–2007 2007–2012 2012–2014 2014–2021 2021–2024 2024–2024 2024–2026 2026–present
Leadership The role of Mayor of Thurrock is largely ceremonial, usually being held by a different councillor each year. Political leadership is instead provided by the leader of the council. The leaders since 1989 have been:
Councillor Party From To Jimmy Aberdein 1989 1995 Andy Smith 1995 30 Jun 2004 Anne Cheale 30 Jun 2004 May 2006 Terry Hipsey 24 May 2006 25 Mar 2009 Garry Hague 25 Mar 2009 19 May 2010 John Kent 19 May 2010 25 May 2016 Rob Gledhill 25 May 2016 2 Sep 2022 Mark Coxshall 13 Oct 2022 May 2023 Andrew Jefferies 24 May 2023 22 May 2024 John Kent 22 May 2024 28 April 2025 Lynn Worrall 21 May 2025 May 2026 Richard Bingley 27 May 2026
Composition Following the 2026 election, and the subsequent resignation of two Reform councillors, the composition of the council is as follows:
Thurrock Youth Cabinet Thurrock Council also operates Thurrock Youth Cabinet, an elected youth council of young people in the borough aged 11 to 18, or 11 to 25 if they have a disability or special needs. Members are elected from schools or local youth groups to represent one of the 20 wards of Thurrock and have to live, study or work in the borough. The Member of Youth Parliament and the Deputy Member of Youth Parliament for Thurrock also sit on the youth cabinet.
Premises
The council is based at Thurrock Town Hall on New Road in Grays. When the council was created in 1974 it used the former offices of the Thurrock Urban District Council in a converted house called Farley and adjoining buildings around the junction of Whitehall Lane and Palmers Avenue in Grays. In 1986 the council built itself a new headquarters at the corner of New Road and Derby Bridge Road in the centre of Grays.Foundation stone on eastern block says "This foundation stone was laid by the Mayor of Thurrock Cllr. Arthur A. Clarke J.P. March 1986 The building has subsequently been extended westward along New Road with a large central block added in 1992 and a new wing at the corner of New Road and High Street completed in 2022.Foundation stone on central block says "This foundation stone was laid by the Mayor of Thurrock Cllr. Mrs A.M.K. Price May 1992
Elections
Since the last boundary changes in 2004, the council has comprised 49 councillors representing 20 wards, with each ward electing two or three councillors. Elections are held three years out of every four, electing a third of the council each time for a four-year term. In the fourth year of the cycle there is no election. This system will change from 2025, with elections being held every four years for the whole council.
Wards The wards, with their numbers on the map below, are:
Aveley and Uplands (1) Belhus (3) Chadwell St Mary (14) Chafford and North Stifford (6) Corringham and Fobbing (17) East Tilbury (15) Grays Riverside (7) Grays Thurrock (8) Little Thurrock Blackshots (10) Little Thurrock Rectory (11) Ockendon (2) Orsett (20) South Chafford (5) Stanford East and Corringham Town (18) Stanford-le-Hope West (16) Stifford Clays (9) The Homesteads (19) Tilbury Riverside and Thurrock Park (12) Tilbury St Chads (13) West Thurrock and South Stifford (4)
Arms
Mayors The mayors since 1982 have included:
Councillor Party From To Bob Wood 1982 1983 Sid Josling 1984 1985 Arthur Clarke 1985 1986 George Watts 1988 1989 John Dunn 1989 1990 Ken Evans 1990 1991 Kitty Price 1991 1992 Pat Rice 1993 1994 Barry Palmer 1994 1995 Reg Lee 1995 1996 Sid Josling 1996 1997 Arthur Bennett 1997 1998 Albert Vandersteen 1998 1999 Carl Morris 1999 2000 Julian Norris 2000 2001 Barrie Lawrence 2001 2002 Gordon Barton 2002 2003 Gerard Rice 2003 2004 Ian Harrison 2004 2005 Colin Churchman 2005 2006 Joy Redsell 2006 2007 Diane Revell 2007 2008 John Everett 2008 2009 Maureen Pearce 2009 2010 Anne Cheale Thurrock Concerned Conservative 2010 2011 Yash Gupta 2011 2013 Tony Fish 2013 2014 Steve Liddiard 2014 2015 Sue Gray 2015 2016 Cathy Kent 2016 2017 Tunde Ojetola 2017 2018 Barbara Rice 2018 2019 Terry Piccolo 2019 2021 Sue Shinnick 2021 2022 James Halden 2022 2023 Sue Little 2023 2024 Kairen Raper 2024 2025 Sue Shinnick 2025 2026 Bill Cook 2026
See also Thurrock, the area with borough status which this council administers.
References