Agenda item
Questions from Non-Executive Members
Minutes:
The Leader stated that two
questions had been submitted by non-Executive Members.
The first question was asked by Councillor Muldowney and read
“Chadwell residents have had no opportunity to make their
views known to Cabinet ahead of their decision on Item 12 tonight.
Will the relevant Cabinet Member agree to consult with local
residents before selling off the green fields opposite Cole
Avenue?” Councillor Coxshall responded and explained that the
land in question was farmland and would be offered as a sale to the
farmer, to allow him to continue farming the land. He stated that
there was currently no public access to the site, and Thurrock were
not planning on selling the land for development, but were selling
the land to increase investment. He felt that Thurrock Council
should not own pubs, restaurants or farmland, and stated that the
funds generated from the sale of these assets would be used to
improve services, for example fixing potholes, and maintaining
parks.
Councillor Muldowney thanked Councillor Coxshall for his answer and
felt pleased to hear that the land would not be sold for
development. She highlighted that once the land had been sold to
the farmer, it would then be his decision as to what to do with the
land, and continued use as farmland could not be guaranteed. She
then queried what consultation had been undertaken prior to the
decision to sell the land. Councillor Coxshall responded that as
the land was not an operational asset, consultation was not
required. He commented that the farmer already farmed the land in
question, and would continue to do so. He stated that all Members
would have a chance to decide which areas in Thurrock were
developed as part of the Local Plan process and the call for
sites.
Councillor J Kent arrived at the meeting at
7.22pm.
The second question was then asked by Councillor J Kent and read
“back in January 2017, as the Leader of the Council, you
said; “central to the future of Grays is the re-provision of
a new, modern and fit for purpose theatre.” You went on to
say; “to be very clear - Thameside will remain open until new
provision is available.” Do you stand by that promise? The
Leader responded that lots had changed since 2017, particularly
with the onset of COVID, which had moved the Council into a budget
deficit. He stated that Thurrock were therefore considering how
services were delivered in future, and explained that the Thameside
building was fifty years old and not currently fit for purpose. He
stated that the building included many services, not limited to the
theatre, and would require lots of capital investment to keep
running. He added that Thurrock had also made a commitment to be
carbon neutral by 2030, and Thameside did not meet this goal. He
explained that Thurrock would continue to analyse its operational
model over the coming months and would work with vendors to try and
move operations to different buildings. He felt that a small
theatre was no longer what was needed, and Thurrock would look into
what could be provided across the borough. He summarised and stated
that Thurrock would work with external partners to regenerate the
cultural offer across Thurrock.
Councillor Kent thanked the Leader for his response and felt that
Thameside was much more than a sum of its parts, as it was the
cultural heart of Thurrock and included the library, museum, and
theatre. He felt that it provided the cultural energy for Thurrock
and urged Cabinet to look into ways of keeping it running, for
example by using arts organisations or community enterprises. The
Leader replied and stated that conversations were currently ongoing
with a number of external partners, as well as with members of the
Production Corridor, as part of a wider arts agenda across the
south east. He stated that work would continue with partners to
reform the service and make Thameside a centre that works for 2021
and in future.
Councillor Muldowney and Councillor Kent left the
meeting – 7.26pm.