News | Thurrock Council

Thurrock’s proposal for four new councils in Greater Essex submitted to Government

26 September 2025

A proposal for four unitary councils in Greater Essex, to replace the current 15 councils, has been submitted to the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government.

The proposal, put forward by Thurrock Council, carefully considers data, evidence, insight and residents’ views, to strike the right balance of councils that are both financially sustainable and close to communities.

Children take up the challenge

24 September 2025

Our libraries' Story Garden Summer Reading Challenge 2025 encouraged a total of 2,340 children across Thurrock to read over the summer holidays, beating the patricipation figures for 2024.
Story Garden encourages children of all ages to keep reading what they enjoy over the summer which also helps maintain their reading levels for when they return back to school in the autumn.
Congratulations to Kenningtons Primary Academy, which this year won the special Summer Reading Challenge School Shield. Kenningtons had 33% of its pupils complete the challenge.

Dine out on a book

24 September 2025

Our libraries are holding a series of innovative Literary Lunches for adults where you can chat about books, food and cooking over a light lunch. The events are part of the Big Tasty Read, a national celebration of reading.
Literary lunches take place between 12 noon and 2pm at Corringham Library (Friday 10 October), Grays Library (Monday 13 October), Chadwell Library (Tuesday 14 October, between 11am and 1pm) and Belhus Library (Thursdays, 16 October).
The events are free, but booking is essential. Call your local library to book your place.

Recycle Week 2025 - do you know what goes in the different bins?

22 September 2025

Do you recycle as much as you can? Thanks to a national campaign you can learn a little bit more about the everyday items that you should be putting in your recycling bin.
We’re showing our support for National Recycle Week (22-28 September), a campaign that is all about understanding what everyday items can be recycled instead of being thrown into general waste.
As part of this week’s campaign, we’re sharing information and resources that will help to improve residents’ knowledge of recycling. Collectively, small changes can make a big difference.

Thurrock Council introduces new Selective Licensing Scheme to improve privately rented homes in the borough

19 September 2025

A new scheme has been introduced to help improve the quality of privately rented homes and reduced risk of unsafe living conditions for private tenants.
Selective Licensing, which will go live in January 2026, will require all landlords in the designated wards below to obtain a licence to let their properties, excluding Houses in Multiple Occupation (HMOs) that are already covered by the existing mandatory or additional licensing schemes.
The decision to go ahead with this new scheme has been made to raise housing standards and support better tenancy management.

Work starts on exciting development project that will bring new affordable housing to Aveley

19 September 2025

Construction work has started for a transformational project that will redevelop three blocks of flats into modern, high-quality homes.
Work is underway at Teviot Avenue in Aveley to demolish three existing blocks of flats containing 36 council homes that were built from non-traditional materials in the 1950s, so that 48 new, affordable council homes can be built.
The redevelopment of numbers 158-228 (evens only) at Teviot Avenue was approved at a Cabinet meeting on Wednesday 13 March 2024, and work is set to be completed by Autumn 2027.

£3m Government funding to support Greater Essex Devolution

19 September 2025

Thurrock Council has welcomed new Government funding that will help drive forward the next stage of devolution for Greater Essex.
The Government has confirmed £3 million of capacity funding over three years (£1m per year) to support Thurrock, Essex County Council and Southend-on-Sea City Council with the legal and practical work associated with establishing a Mayoral Combined County Authority (MCCA) for Greater Essex.

Family Hub services set to launch at East Tilbury Library

19 September 2025

Thurrock Council is pleased to announce a new home for the Brighter Futures Family Hub, bringing a range of family-focused services to East Tilbury Library starting from Thursday 2 October.
This exciting move ensures that Family Hub services continue to support local families following the relocation from East Tilbury Village Hall. The new venue offers a welcoming and accessible space for families to engage with a variety of activities and support services.
What’s on offer:

Thurrock Council backs the creation of a new Mayoral authority for Greater Essex

18 September 2025

Thurrock Council endorsed the creation of a new Mayoral authority for Greater Essex at its Cabinet meeting on 17 September - a landmark step that could see more powers, funding, and decisions made closer to the people of Thurrock and Greater Essex, which will bring significant benefits to local residents.
Benefits can include:

Celebrating global learning: Cllr Vikki Hartstean visits William Edwards School following prestigious international award

16 September 2025

Cllr Vikki Hartstean, Cabinet Member for Children's Services, Education and Community Safety at Thurrock Council, visited William Edwards School in Stifford Clays, Grays, to celebrate its recent achievement of the Intermediate level of the British Council’s prestigious International School Award.
The award recognises the school’s outstanding commitment to embedding international learning into its curriculum and fostering global citizenship among its students.