Council "a bit part player in its own movie" as watchdog criticises Thurrock Council's role in the regeneration agenda. "To address these successfully, the Council must play a bigger role in enabling and embedding local growth, especially in partnership."
The Home Office publishes statistics on the number of persons removed or departed voluntarily from the UK on a quarterly and annual basis. These publications are available from the Library of the House and from the Home Office's Research, Development and Statistics website http://www.homeoffice.gov.uk/rds/immigration-asylum-stats.html
May came and went and Labour manoevured their way into power. The Audit Commission produced their assessment of the council's governance. It made for grim reading on the one hand but it also hinted at the green shoots of recovery. Labour appear to have an easy win as the Tories let the reserves dwindle to just over a million. Labour are now in a: "Taking Care Of Business" mode. Cllr Barry Johnson is not so sure.
Bob Neill MP said: “I am extremely pleased to be at London Gateway for the first time and to see for myself how DP World’s investment in this region is beginning to develop and restore confidence in the area’s economic recovery. This innovative development is changing the landscape along the Thames in many ways, bringing world class trading facilities, new jobs and training opportunities, at the same time as creating valuable green spaces for the local community and an ideal wildlife habitat.”
A Damning Audit Commission report has exposed the financial mis-management of Thurrock Council prior to Labour taking over in May as putting the borough's finances "close to bankruptcy". The report also highlights the financial and man-management challenges that face the new team of Chief Executive Graham Farrant and Leader of the Council, John Kent.
An ageing population but is there a need for more care homes in the borough? Residents in South Ockendon clearly think not as they protest against an application in Mollands Lane.
Secondly, we know that this Council has been working hard to build up trust and effective communication with the communities we serve. If we retreat now to a scaled down and centralised model of delivering public services, all of those gains could easily be lost.
“There are thousands of private tenants in Thurrock, all of whom stand to lose out from changes to landlord regulations. At the same time whole areas of our borough could be harmed if Thurrock Council isn’t able to restrain the spread of HMOs. Shelter’s research confirms that private tenants are suffering under dodgy and absentee landlords at a time when the Government, putting landlords’ interests over tenants’, is rolling back key protective regulations”
His modus operandi has been to walk the walk in the shape of ward walks with councillors as well as talk the talk in the form of Star Chamber meetings where sources tell us that officers and councillors who spend a great deal of time, telling you what cannot be done are given the Jean-Luc Picard message of "Make It So".
IF YOU have ever wondered what marks out Cllr Yash Gupta from the other councillors,not only in Thurrock but all over the country then you simply need to go to his web page on the Thurrock Council website.
The questions by Shamus McCarthy and Denise Donovan were more pertinent to the previous Tory adminstration who had been in power from 2004 to May 2010 and Councillor Kent advised them so. Cllr Kent advised them: "The matter of planning enforcement will be on the agenda for the Planning Committee Meeting next Thursday Sept 23rd."
I’d like Councillors to consider the points raised and agree to a one year trial, where residents can participate in the budgetary and service management of cleaning and greening operations.
It is an indication of the depth and strength of feeling that this scandal has created that so many Members wish to speak about it. There is no doubt that it is a scandal. Equitable Life behaved very badly. It hid its debts, it expanded too rapidly, and it had no visible means of support. Ultimately, those actions left my constituents and many other people throughout the country with reduced pensions, and with losses running into many thousands of pounds.
It is clear that the majority are simply out of their depth. Good people (mostly) but have it neither in their DNA nor the will-power to raise the game to face the challenges that the horrendous cuts will produce. They just about cut it in the good times but last night proved that as a group (with some noted individuals exempt) they were embarassingly and disgracefully out of their depth.
