A CONTROVERSIAL organisation set up to combat racism in Thurrock has decided to call it a day.
Thurrock Racial Unity Support Group (TRUST) passed a resolution at an AGM last Thursday to dissolve the organisation.
Even that decision appeared to shrouded in secrecy which somehow seemed fitting for an organisation that operated behind locked doors and seemed somewhat publicity-shy.
A spokesperson for Thurrock Council said: "TRUST held their annual meeting on Thursday afternoon and the directors put forward a resolution that the organisation should dissolve.
A second resolution sought to establish a new organisation to be developed in the future.
Thurrock Council and CVS are supporting the organisation as it looks for a way forward.
"The directors are writing to members to inform those not at the AGM of the decision, and to ask if they want to be involved in setting the foundations for a new organisation".
Over the years, YT has written a number of articles asking questions about the public money that was handed over the TRUST.
Four years ago, we discovered that TRUST was spending £10,000 a year on phone calls. That amount of money was dwarfed in comparison to the wage bill at the organisation based at the Thameside Complex in Grays.
Their wage bill was high. In 2012, nine members of staff earned close to (all told) £190,000. With one member of staff on £60,000.
Once again, the rule of it is not what you deserve, it is what you negotiate, seemed to many, to come into play.
It was only when combative Tilbury councillor Lyn Worrall became portfolio holder for communities that the council started to have a long hard look at that they were getting for their money.
Some will mourn the loss of TRUST and together with the possible loss of hate crime police officers in Thurrock, there may be a genuine concern as to whom do ethnic minorities go to, if they have concerns in Thurrock.
There will be other voluntary organisations in Thurrock that may well do well to note the end of TRUST and ask if they are next?
YT attempted to contact TRUST but their website is down and no-one has replied to a communication at the time of initial publication.
