News

Statement on delay to planned Lower Thames Crossing announcement

4 October 2024
Cllr John Kent, Leader of Thurrock Council, has expressed his disappointment and frustration that today’s planned announcement on the future of the Lower Thames Crossing has been delayed.
Cllr Kent said: “We are disappointed that we have not been updated about whether a Development Consent Order has been granted for the Lower Thames Crossing today, as we were expecting. It is important that we get clarity about the future of these proposals, and it is extremely frustrating that once again a decision that would give us that has been delayed.”

Local volunteer inducted to Mayoral Roll of Honour

4 October 2024
On Tuesday 1 October, Loraine Colemen, aged 68 from Grays, was presented with the Mayoral Roll of Honour in recognition of her work in setting up the first Reengage group in Thurrock.
Reengage is a charity that connects with older people to help them stay in contact with friends, socialise and reduce loneliness by hosting tea parties and events.
Thurrock's first Reengage group was set up by Loraine in 2015, since then she has become Local Area Coordinator for Thurrock and now oversees eight Reengage groups.

Children's author to visit libraries as part of Black History Month

4 October 2024
Local author Toyin Owoseje will be visiting Grays and Chadwell Library as part of a series of events to celebrate Black History Month.
Toyin will be reading her children's book 'Wonderfully Me', which tells the story of a young child called Bisi and her journey to building positive self-esteem with the help of her parents.
Children can hear a reading of the story from Toyin and enjoy a fun morning of activities at Grays and Chadwell Library on the following days:

Celebrating children of foster carers

4 October 2024
Make a difference to a Thurrock child’s life, have your council tax paid, and get a monthly allowance – speak to our friendly team today to find out how to become a foster carer.
When thinking about fostering, it is normal to think about how it will affect the foster parents or the children in foster care, however, another group can sometimes be overlooked – the children of foster carers. 

Thurrock Healthy Lifestyle Service is here to help this Stoptober

3 October 2024
Thurrock Council’s Healthy Lifestyle Service are providing free information sessions to help residents quit smoking succesfully.
These free in-person drop-in sessions at the Civic Offices, Grays, will allow anyone who lives or work in Thurrock to ask questions, seek guidance, and get more information on the local ‘Swap to Stop’ offer and other stop smoking advice.

Thurrock Council calls for action to improve access to GPs

3 October 2024
Following news this week that Thurrock has the most patients per GP – nearly twice the number of the best served areas – Cllr Mark Hooper, Cabinet member for Health and Well-being, is calling on the government to address this shocking postcode lottery.

Helping SEND students to excel

2 October 2024
A local school in South Ockendon is helping to give SEND students a platform to grow and thrive.
On Wednesday 26 September, Cllr Vikki Hartstean, Cabinet Member for Children's Services and Education, met with Mr Rhys Latham, Headteacher at Dilkes Academy and Mrs Hayley Nye, Deputy Headteacher at Dilkes Academy, to take a tour of the school.
The meeting focused on how inclusivity and consistency across all of their year groups and classes had given their SEND students better resources to learn, grow and develop their confidence.

Fly-tip swiftly cleared

27 September 2024
A fly-tipping incident which partially blocked a main road in Stanford-le-Hope has been quickly cleared.
At 7.45pm on Tuesday night (24 September), it was reported that a large amount of household and construction waste had been illegally dumped on the side of road on Butts Lane in Stanford-le-Hope, causing issues for oncoming traffic.
Thurrock Council's Highways Emergency Team acted quickly, arriving at 9pm the same night to remove the waste from the road and ensure traffic could continue.

New Thurrock fund created to help those in need this winter

26 September 2024
Thurrock Council is set to launch a new campaign to help make sure residents get the support they need to help them through this winter, including creating a £100,000 ‘pensioner winter support fund’ to help pensioners who are on benefits and will no longer receive the winter fuel allowance.
The council will also work with Thurrock Community and Voluntary Services and other community groups to make sure that support reaches those that need it.

Celebrating our Summer Reading Challenge volunteers

26 September 2024
66 young people were celebrated for their contribution to this year’s Summer Reading Challenge at a special event on Tuesday 24 September.  
The volunteers, all aged between 13-17, dedicated a combined 1269 hours of their own time to encourage and champion children and young people to complete the reading challenge.

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