Ockendon business claims council has failed to pay £250k bill

A SOUTH Ockendon based building firm has been left to struggle financially with restricted cash flow – because Labour run Thurrock Council hasn’t paid a £245,000 bill from December claims a leading Thurrock Conservative.

The firm, which has been in business since the 1930’s, has, allegedly, been waiting seven months for payment for completed works carried out on behalf of the council to improve Thurrock’s housing stock. Despite the company directors regularly emailing the leader of the council, as well as the cabinet member for Housing, the firm still doesn’t know when they will be paid – if at all.

Conservative Finance spokesman Cllr Barry Johnson said: “This is a truly shocking situation. The council has racked up £16,500 in additional fees for late payment and interest through incompetence, and they still don’t seem anywhere near putting it right.

“If residents didn’t pay their council tax for seven months, the council would rightly take them to court. The council, however, is more than happy to ignore its own bills for that length of time. This is essentially bullying a local business, and presumably others, and it has to stop. Thurrock Labour talk a good game about supporting local business, but the reality is far from pretty.”

The lack of payment is just the latest blow from the council. Back in December, the council pulled the plug on a number of planned repairs, leaving 15 local tradesmen effectively redundant in the run-up to Christmas.

Additionally, the latest plans show that just 30% of future contracts will be reserved for local labourers, much less than previously expected.

Ockendon councillor Lynn Carr added “This administration is starving local businesses of payments and contracts. It is a hard enough environment to survive in at the moment without the so called working man’s party adding insult to injury and leaving them vulnerable. This firm supports dozens of jobs, employing many local people, and deserves to be supported by the council. Instead, they are abused – truly shameful behaviour.”