AFTER taking control of Thurrock Council, Tory leader Rob Gledhill spoke of his ambitions for the Borough.
The Tories were able to take charge mainly due to the vote of cllr Colin Churchman. Cllr Churchman was a Conservative councillor and a former UKIP councillor but he now sits as an Independent.
With 17 Tories, 17 UKIP and the 14 Labour abstaining, it came down to cllr Churchman and he opted for the Conservatives.
He said: "I don’t think Thurrock has used the scrutiny system well and to the best of its ability. With the political balance as it is tonight the Conservative group will not be seeking the chairs or vice chair of any scrutiny committee.
"From this evening I will be proposing that all major proposals will go through scrutiny before coming to Cabinet. It is right every member has right to have a say before we make a decision, This is consensual politics.
"Tomorrow I will be in discussion with the Chief Executive about our our plans. Thurrock is becoming a mess, We suffer the scourge of fly-tipping, our streets are just plain dirty. This needs to be addressed. We will be taking action against people using Thurrock as a dustbin. We will get this Borough clean."
His Cabinet appointments are:
Cllr Garry Hague will be deputy leader and responsibility for business.
Cllr James Halden will take responsibility for education and health
Cllr Brian Little will be Cabinet member for Transport and Highways.
Cllr Sue Little will lead on children and adult social care
Cllr Shane Hebb on finance and central services
Cllr Deborah Stewart will be responsible for performance management
Cllr Pauline Tolson will take responsibility for environment
Cllr Mark Coxhall will lead on regeneration.
He concluded by saying: "I have a newborn son and I want him to grown up in a Borough that is moving forward, not stagnating. I want Thurrock to become a place that everyone is proud of."
