A FORMER West Thurrock waste site has been brought back into use by Thurrock Council’s Environment team who have converted it for use as a vehicle maintenance and repair centre.
Work on the council’s vehicles was previously carried out at its Curzon Drive depot in Grays, which over a number of years has become short of space.
The new centre in St Clement’s Way, West Thurrock, was visited by portfolio holder Cllr Victoria Holloway who said: “We have already taken on an extra vehicle technician this year, plus our first technical apprentice in November with the aim to match the technician capacity as the work starts to build up.”
She added: “This not only gives the council greater control and flexibility over its vehicle maintenance functions, but it also saves money – around 30 per cent less than sending vehicles to external suppliers for repair.
“Having a vehicle off the road can mean having to stand down a whole waste collection crew because they’re dependent on having a working vehicle, as well as damaging the level of service itself.
“The extra capacity also gives us the potential for extending our working hours – increasing reliability and availability and making full use of the facilities.
“Our intention is to also look at using the centre to generate income by carrying out work for other organisations.”
