Call for public enquiry into Thurrock Council financial catastrophe is rejected by ruling group

A CALL for Thurrock Council to ask for an independent, government, inquiry into the financial crash of Thurrock – and other councils – has been voted down by Tory councillors.

At Wednesday’s full council meeting Labour Group leader, John Kent, put forward a motion asking for the council to lobby government for a full inquiry into the financial collapse of Thurrock Council – alongside similar collapses in Woking, Slough, Croydon and Northamptonshire.

Cllr Kent argued that an inquiry should examine – amongst other factors -the impact of government cuts to local government funding, the abolition of the Audit Commission, the role of councils’ external auditors and the lack of government oversight.

Although all Labour and Independent councillors supported his call, Cllr Kent’s motion was defeated on the casting vote of Thurrock’s Mayor – Cllr Sue Little – with every Conservative councillor voting against an independent inquiry.

Speaking after the meeting Cllr Kent said;

“The fact is that this Conservative administration has bankrupted Thurrock, they have lost hundreds of millions of pounds on reckless investments, borrowed one and a half billion pounds and run a budget deficit of over £400 million.

“We need answers as to how that was allowed to happen – not just here but in other places too – if we don’t get those answers we run the real risk of other councils repeating Thurrock’s mistakes.

“I really believe that, given the scale of the financial catastrophe here in Thurrock – and elsewhere – a full independent inquiry is essential.

“It is shameful that Thurrock Tories are, once again, showing utter contempt for residents and trying to avoid independent scrutiny – you have to wonder just what it is they are scared of.”