Thurrock Council leader promises tough decisions over budget

The leader of a council with a £469m budget black hole said he believes the authority can recover.

In a report published on Tuesday, the Conservative-run Thurrock Council admitted £275m of taxpayers' money will be lost as a direct result of failed investments.

The funding gap is about three times the authority's annual budget and it said it would seek "exceptional financial support" from government.

Mark Coxshall, leader of Thurrock Council, said: "It's a very large figure and I understand that. I'm here to make the tough decisions. We can move forward."