Thurrock Council: Conservative cuts of £18.2 slammed by Labour

In 2022 Thurrock Council reported an "unprecedented" shortfall of £469m

A cash-strapped Essex council needs to "cut back on everything", its cabinet member for finance said.

Graham Snell said Thurrock Council needed to sell off assets and investments worth £1bn.

Last year, the Conservative-controlled local authority reported an "unprecedented" shortfall of £469m.

At a meeting on Tuesday, the council proposed £18.2m of cuts in the next financial year as part of its budget proposals.

The council's total expenditure to deliver services in 2023-24 is £511,847,000.

A further £13.65m of savings will have to be found every year for three years from 2025, under the proposals which will be voted on early next year.

Labour councillors described the meeting as "flawed" and there was "no plan" behind most of the savings.

Among the proposals due to be developed and included in next year's budget are:

• £832,000 saving from reviewing adult social care packages

• £2.5m saving from moving to fortnightly bin collections, weekly food waste collections in September 2024, and charging for garden waste

• £5.3m from "cross-cutting" by finding new efficient ways of working

• £348,000 estimated to be raised from bringing in traffic offence fines at the roundabout at junction 31 on the M25

• £1.03m based on raising council tax by an assumed 4.99% in April 2024. In April 2023, council tax rose by 9.99%

Deborah Arnold, Conservative council cabinet member, said the proposals were "experienced ideas that are felt to be achievable".

She told the council's Corporate Overview & Scrutiny Committee that in the past some savings measures "were a finger in the wind", but she has more "confidence in this budget than previous budgets".

Labour's Valerie Morris-Cook told the meeting that most of the measures were given a risk rating of "amber or red" of being achieved from plans that have not been made public.

In response, Ms Arnold said "it's because the projects haven't started yet", which Labour ridiculed.

• Council reveals 'grave' £469m hole in budget

• Council set to borrow nearly £850m to repay debts

• Debt-ridden council owes other authorities millions

Mr Snell said the Conservative administration had a "contingency" plan if the £18.2m of savings could be met, but he did not provide details.

Independent councillor Neil Speight said it was "disgraceful" that the administration was saying there were "cuts that we could make, but we are not letting you look at them".

The Conservatives said they were putting forward "acceptable" proposals.

Currently the closure of libraries or the selling off of the Thameside Theatre complex in Grays were not included in the plans, a cabinet member confirmed to councillors.