Councillors, school pupils, and Thurrock Council officers are working to develop pride in their local area.
Cllr Joy Redsell asked the Grays housing office to join her on a joint and thorough inspection of the Blackshots low-rise estate.
Cllr Redsell, a ward member for Little Thurrock, Blackshots, had expressed concern regarding several areas on the estate which were looking neglected.
The council’s dedicated housing maintenance team — paid for through housing rents — was able to quickly get out and sort out some of the problems.
Cllr Redsell said: “We have been doing this for some time now and so the estate is looking rather nice, although we still have several jobs to complete which are in the pipeline and will be done soon.
“Just a bit of time and energy and the help of estate officers is required to produce outstanding results.”
The Grays housing office has also arranged regular monthly meetings with Stifford Clays councillors Diana Hale and Angie Gaywood to achieve similar results there.
The council’s environment and street services team have contacted secondary schools across Thurrock asking them to put an article about litter in their first publication of the next school year.
It states: “We all know we shouldn’t drop litter and the majority of adults feel very guilty when they do. However, research has shown that most children and young people (particularly those aged 12-plus) do drop litter and are not ashamed to admit it.
“But you know it’s wrong – and the bottom line is it looks awful.
“The best way to keep litter free is lead by example, that’s friends and family too. Please remember to bin your litter when you are walking to and from school and use the litter bins at school. That way you can help to keep your school and your community litter free.”
And Cllr Val Morris-Cook, Thurrock Council’s portfolio holder for Pride in Thurrock, who is the leading member for the tidiness of the borough visited an allotment to congratulate organisers on their superb efforts.
She was at the Belmont allotment in Rosebery Road, South Stifford to congratulate chair Brian Taylor and his team on their efforts there.
She said: “It’s amazing what they have done with the Belmont allotment. There’s a classroom for local schoolchildren to learn about the environment, bee hives, ponds for dipping, chickens and even a wildlife garden.
“There are a lot of people waiting for allotments here in Thurrock and the council is looking at ways we might be able to unlock some land for their use.”
If the Borough needs allotments why not release the Land behind Bull Meadows backing into Rookery Park Field Little Thurrock and the waste land now used by Kids between Dell Road / Grays Hall CMHT (old allotments)
With the closure of Quarry Hill Junior school as the infant school is becoming a new Primary School in September one wonders what the council will do with the Quarry Hill Junior school site and the old allotments you mention behind Dell Road. I would think both these sites will be sold off to the highest bidder (property developer) in the not too distant future especially as the council needs all the cash it can get.
The allotment has remained vacant since Essex County Council kicked off all the tenants 15 or so years ago. One wonders why Thurrock Coucnil has left it empty for so long.