THURROCK council has officially appointed a new leader and mayor as well as selecting cabinet members for the 2026/27 municipal year reports the Local Democracy Reporter.
Earlier this month Reform UK won 45 seats out of 49 in the local elections defeating Labour in a landslide victory and have officially taken control of Thurrock Council for the first time.
Reform councillor Bill Cook was voted in as the new mayor and he thanked fellow members for “bestowing me with the honour as Mayor of Thurrock”.
He announced Diabetes UK as his chosen charity for the year and added that his consort and chaplain will be confirmed at a later date.
The Deputy Mayor was announced as Reform councillor James Poyntz.
Mr Poyntz said: “It is the honour of my life to serve as a councillor and deputy mayor, that’s it thank you.”
As part of the ceremony, the outgoing Mayor Sue Shinnick delivered a warm and reflective farewell which marked the end of her year in office.
The Labour councillor described the role as “a real honour and privilege to serve our borough throughout the year”, paying tribute to the volunteers, community groups and residents she had met across Thurrock.
Ms Shinnick also highlighted her thanks for all the support to her chosen charity the MCA Trust, which supports children with cancer and those recovering from treatment.
Through her year of fundraising, she announced raising over £19,000 for the organisation. Ms Shinnick closed by wishing Mr Cook “good luck for the next year”.
She received the traditional Past Mayor’s badge, however her consort Mr Watson was unable to attend to collect his badge.
There was also confirmation delivered by the outgoing mayor that a by-election will take place in Grays Town and Grays Riverside after two recent councillor resignations.
Tributes to the outgoing Mayor were offered across the chamber with Conservative councillor Qaisar Abbas thanking Ms Shinnick for her “commitment and time as mayor”, while Labour’s Aaron Green praised her “grace, humility and honour”.
The new leader of the council was announced as Reform councillor Richard Bingley and the formation of the new cabinet was approved.
The cabinet is as follows:
Richard Bingley is Cabinet Member for Public Protection, Community Safety and Veterans.
Alex Anderson is Cabinet Member for Corporate Services, Digital and Transformation.
Sara Poyntz is Cabinet Member for Finance.
George Monk is Cabinet Member for Deregulation, Efficiency and Civic Pride.
Tom Kelly is Cabinet Member for Regeneration and Environment.
Milena Bingley is Cabinet Member for Education, Skills and Children’s Services.
Rob Willoughby is Cabinet Member for Adults, Health and Housing Services.
