Intervention at Thurrock Council – Update, 21 March 2023
Read the decision detail document regarding the Expansion of Intervention into Thurrock Borough Council.
Intervention at Thurrock Council – Update, 15 March 2023
The Secretary of State has used powers under the Local Government Act 1999 to expand the intervention at the Council.
The new directions follow recommendations from the Commissioners.
You can view documents and correspondence relating to the intervention in Thurrock Council.
Intervention at Thurrock Council
On Friday 2 September 2022, Greg Clark MP, the then Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, confirmed that he had appointed Essex County Council as Commissioner to act in an intervention at Thurrock Council.
The appointment of Essex County Council as Commissioner followed ‘grave concerns’ voiced by the Department of Levelling Up, Housing and Communities over Thurrock Council’s exceptional levels of financial risk and debt.
Essex County Council was also appointed to undertake a Best Value Inspection.
You can contact the Thurrock Council Commission by email at Thurrock.Commissioners@essex.gov.uk to ask questions or contribute to its work.
The Commissioners will regard all email correspondence as confidential.
Best Value Inspection
Essex County Council, in its statutory role as Best Value Inspector, is undertaking a Best Value Inspection of Thurrock Council.
The Inspection commenced on Monday 10 October and is due to report the findings to the Secretary of State by Friday 17 February 2023.
The Inspection Team was directed by the Secretary of State to consider, in the delivery of specific functions, whether Thurrock Council has effective arrangements in place for securing Best Value in its governance, audit (internal and external), risk management, overview and scrutiny functions, and their impact on service delivery.
The Inspection Team is:
- Tony McArdle, Inspection Lead
- Margaret Lee, Finance
- Pam Parkes, Organisation culture
- Paul Turner, Governance
- Joanna Boaler, Scrutiny
- Alastair Gordon, Policy and Insight
You can contact the Inspection Team at Thurrock.Commissioners@essex.gov.uk