Headlines

THE government is considering paying teachers to add an extra 30 minutes to the school day in England under leaked proposals to help pupils overcome a year of disruption caused by the Covid-19 pandemic reports The Guardian.

AMAZON today announces the creation of an Amazon Apprenticeship Fund to help small businesses across England take on apprentices through the levy transfer scheme. The £2.5 million investment will help create more than 200 new apprenticeships in 2021, with roles now available across Digital Marketing, Business Administration, Post Production Technical Operators, Visual Effects Artists, Broadcast and Media Technicians, DevOps Engineers, AI Data Specialists, Software Development, Data Analysts, Cyber Security Technologists and more.

SOUTH Essex train operator Trenitalia c2c will be doubling the number of direct daytime off-peak services between Southend and London during the half term holidays.

A Purfleet-on-Thames man has been forced to pay more than £600 worth of parking fines after his attempts to evade justice by using a fake number plate failed.

THURROCK Council has thanked residents for their patience as its waste collection service has worked hard to catch-up this week, meaning that collections are still not fully operating on their normal schedule.

ALMOST two million private renters fear they will be unable to find another property if they lose their home after the eviction ban is lifted, ministers are being warned reports The Guardian.

ELEVEN phone numbers used by drug dealing gangs in west Essex have been shut down.

ESSEX Police are appealing for information following an incident in Grays where a man reportedly exposed himself.

THE ringleaders of an organised crime group which supplied drugs to county lines gangs have been jailed for a combined total of more than 40 years.

CLLR Sue Shinnick has been inaugurated as the new Mayor of Thurrock.

NEW play equipment to boost Grays Beach Riverside Park has been unveiled at a special launch event today (Thursday 27 May).

ONE of the biggest barriers to ending in-work poverty is the ever-growing phenomenon of bogus self-employment and the gig economy.

THE quick thinking of four students may have saved a local man’s life after he collapsed outside the Co-op near to their school on Monday morning.

A NEW machine is helping to improve the lives of women at Southend Hospital who have suffered tearing during labour.

THE directors of Aveley Football Club and the Principal of Ormiston Park Academy have met to discuss a future partnership.