THE LEADER of the Thurrock Labour group has called for an urgent meeting of Thurrock Council over the revelation that the council debt stands at £1.2 billion.
Councillor John Kent, Leader of Thurrock Council Labour Group, commenting on a Financial Times Report which has revealed Thurrock Council debt stands at £1.2 Billion and could rise as high as £2.2 Billion, said:
“Local residents will be shocked that a local council can run up such a level of debt in such a short time without proper oversight by councillors.
“More worrying is the fact that Thurrock Council regularly uses loans from one council to pay its debts to another like municipal pay-day loans.
“This report highlights the unacceptable culture of secrecy, lack of transparency and a contempt for councillors that has grown up in Thurrock over recent years. Even so, surely senior councillors must have given the go ahead for senior officers to run up this level of debt and allow taxpayers money to be used for speculative investments?
“I am seeking the support of the Mayor and other councillors for an urgent meeting of the Council to seek answers to the many questions these shocking revelations have raised”.
The detailed report of the investigation by the Bureau of Investigative Journalism which appeared in the Financial Times can be found here:
How can it be shock when Kent was leader of Thurrock Council then and Your Thurrock had an article about the Solar Panels or did he forget about that artical.
@Willow – you are indeed correct. It was OK under Labour to speculate, borrow money and invest in a solar farm. Some of this debt was run up under the last Labour Council, when John Kent was Leader. But John Kent hopes us mere plebs won’t remember this and by screaming loudly and pointing fingers at the Conservatives we won’t scrutinise his own behaviour and his own actions when Labour last ran Thurrock Council. Both Labour and Conservatives are responsible for this astonishing debt. It is hypocritical of Councillor Kent to point the finger at the Conservatives when he did exactly the same whe he ran Thurrock Council. https://www.yourthurrock.com/2016/10/08/controversial-15-million-solar-farm-deal-was-signed-off-by-labour-claims-deputy-leader-of-thurrock-council/
Ha, ha, 15m in 2016 and now under the conservatives £1.2 billion. That is an extra £1,185,000,000 of borrowings Something clearly stinks. Come clean TC.