The Leader began his statement by discussing how Highways England had today launched the Statutory Consultation for the Lower Thames Crossing, ahead of applying for a Development Consent Order from the Secretary of State. He described how the council had seen a lack of engagement from Highways England and the disgust that he felt over the lack of information supplied, particularly the fact that the council still didn’t have hard copies of the Statutory Consultation documents. Councillor Gledhill reiterated the fact that the council were unanimously opposed to the Lower Thames Crossing, particularly due to the fact a raised road would be built over the Tilbury C2C line through the Orsett Fens, and a 5metre high viaduct through Mardyke valley which would ruin Thurrock’s natural landscape. In addition he felt, it would not benefit businesses as there would be no link road to Tilbury; and there would be no access southbound from the Orsett Cock roundabout or from the eastbound A13. He continued by stating that as no pre-Statutory Consultation had taken place and no practical information had been supplied, the council were now seeking legal advice from specialist lawyers who were investigating the prospect of judicial review. The Leader then described how he was presenting a motion to the next Full Council to ask for support for the judicial review from all 49 councillors. He felt that residents should engage with the Statutory Consultation events, or get involved on the website. He also stated that paper copies of the documents would be available from the Tilbury and Grays hubs, and asked residents to write to their local councillors to back the judicial review. He stated that everything was being done to protect the borough, and plans to have east facing slip roads at the A13 had been announced at the Conservative Party Conference. The Leader thanked the MP Jackie Doyle-Price for her hard work on this matter, and congratulated her on her new role as Minister for Suicide Prevention.

The Leader then updated Members on the Clean It, Cut It, Fill Scheme. In doing so, Members heard how 1273 potholes had been filled in, which was 99% within target time; 698 acres of grass had been cut; 1340 tonnes of waste had been cleared; 749 fly-tips had been cleared; 1760 Fixed Penalty Notices had been issued for anti-social behaviour such as littering. He added that 45, £400 fines had been issued to people caught fly-tipping.

Councillor Gledhill then moved on to congratulate the Purfleet Regeneration Scheme who won the Regeneration Award for Brownfield Sites. He described how the project had been under discussion for a long time, but was now being delivered on track and on time. He congratulated Councillor Coxshall for his work helping to develop and deliver the scheme.

The Leader then discussed the recent whistleblowing allegations, and although could provide no specifics wanted to state that independent barristers were investigating the allegations, and the necessary steps were being taken. He also discussed the recent article in the Thurrock Independent regarding payment to an individual in March 2016. He commented that this was made in accordance with finance regulations; and was agreed by the Monitoring Officer, the Section 151 Officer, the Chief Executive, and the previous leader. He stated that he had confidence in the Chief Executive and senior team in this matter.

Councillor Gledhill ended his statement by discussing the LGA Peer Review which occurred in September. He stated that the last Peer Review in 2016 had been good, but that there had been a long way to go to ensure the council had the capacity and skills to deliver. He mentioned that although the full results had not yet been released, the preliminary findings suggested there was a positive direction of travel, as there was good communication, exciting plans, and a strong ‘Team Thurrock’. He stated that this could only happen because of the balanced four year budget and £10 million surplus. He finally congratulated Councillor Hebb on his nomination at LGIU Councillor Achievement Award, and hoped he would win on 6 November.