The Mayor stated she would be attending a Holocaust Memorial service tomorrow to remember those who had suffered in the Holocaust and to reflect on our will to build peaceful communities for the future.

The Mayor stated in place of providing refreshments for Members following Council meetings she had made and would continue to make donations to food banks and made a donation to a children’s party in Tilbury.

Councillor Gledhill stated Members could send their un-answered questions to himself or directly to the Police Fire Crime Commissioner for a response.

Councillor Gledhill, Leader of the Council, made the following announcements:

New Chamber - It was a shame this meeting could not take place in our fantastic new Chamber, but it had simply not been possible to get it finished in time due to problems directly linked to COVID, and particularly the Omicron variant that had been prevalent since the start of December. Like many other businesses had been faced with the issues in the supply chain and contractors having to be absent because they have had to self-isolate. The good news was the major construction work had taken place and the building looked magnificent. This had helped kick-start the renaissance of Grays we know was coming including the Grays Town Fund, the new Weatherspoon’s Pub at the State Cinema and the work was on-going with the owners of the Shopping Centre. The Leader also referred to the Safer Street scheme in Grays following funding received from Government to increase CCTV, lighting and security on Grays High Street.

COVID-19 Update - Tomorrow England would go back to Plan A measures with the requirement being lifted to wear face-coverings in indoor public spaces and on public transport. The Leader was pleased to report that Thurrock had seen vast improvements across the borough with the number of people testing positive in Thurrock dropping by 50%. Thurrock had also moved from having been in a position amongst the highest Upper Tier Local Authorities in the country in terms of infection to being in the bottom half of the table. The Leader stated it was important that everyone who was eligible sought the protection of the vaccination offer as this would reduce the chance of catching and spreading the virus. Thurrock had been awarded £485,000 in Government funding to help boost that rate and to ensure more Thurrock residents got the excellent protection vaccines offer and work would continue with partners in the Community and Voluntary Services to find innovative ways to encourage more people to come forward. The Leader urged anyone who had not been vaccinated to take action by booking an appointment on line, by phone or visiting a pop-up centre within the borough.

Thames Freeport – A full Business Case would be submitted at the end of this week for the Thames Freeport starting in the borough and ending in Barking and Dagenham and would, when open for business, would attract billions in private sector investment that would contribute to the delivery of many of the Council's objectives including economic growth, regeneration and levelling up for the benefit of residents and businesses across the borough. This would also create well-paid jobs and exciting apprenticeships in cutting edge green energy industries and it was the future being developed right here in Thurrock.

The Leader provided an update on Clean It, Cut It, Fill It that since April 2021:

•     Had filled 2,912 potholes on our borough’s roads. More than 99% within agreed timeframes.

•     Had cleared 1,419 fly-tips.

•     Removed 1,975 tonnes of waste from streets and other public areas.

•     Had issued 3,666 fixed penalty notices for offences including littering, spitting and dropping cigarette ends.

Finally the Leader stated that having worked for Thurrock Council for 20 years working in Adult and Children’s Social Care and also in the shared post of Chief Social Worker for Adults, Fran Leddra would be retiring. The Leader stated she had been a fantastic social worker who had been committed and wished her well in her retirement.